The Counties Where Storms Cause The Most Damage Every Year

By Evan Comen • September 23, 2025

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While 2025 has been a relatively quiet hurricane season, severe weather has been on the rise in recent years. In the last six months, tornadoes killed more than three dozen Americans, while the Central Texas floods in mid-summer claimed the lives of more than 130 people. Insurance brokerage Gallagher Re estimates that more than 15 extreme weather events with damages exceeding $1 billion took place in the first six months of the year.

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The National Weather Service tracks storm damages using the Damage Assessment Toolkit, a system for collecting, mapping, and analyzing storm damage in the United States. Meteorologists, emergency managers, and trained partners log evidence of observed storm damage, helping scientists track the path and intensity of tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, and other destructive weather.

Over the past 25 years, storm activity has largely been concentrated in the central and southeastern United States. While a majority of the country has logged no significant storm damage, dozens of counties in the Mississippi Valley, Southern Plains, and Gulf Coast have more than 500 storm damage observations. A closer look at the data reveals the U.S. counties where storms cause the most damage.

To determine the counties where storms have caused the most damage this year, Climate Crisis 247 reviewed data on post-damage storm assessments from the National Weather Service. Counties were ranked based on the number of post-damage storm assessment observations in their boundaries from January 1, 2000 to September 18, 2025. Supplemental data on home value and population are from the U.S. Census Bureau.

25. Caddo Parish, LA

Photo by Brandon Knight on Unsplash

NWS post-damage storm assessment count since 2000: 678 observations
Worst year for storm damage: 2025 (108 observations)
Total value of occupied housing units: $13.2 billion
Total population: 232,973
County seat: Shreveport

24. Lake County, IN

Photo by Adam Bouse on Unsplash

NWS post-damage storm assessment count since 2000: 690 observations
Worst year for storm damage: 2014 (261 observations)
Total value of occupied housing units: $33.4 billion
Total population: 498,990
County seat: Crown Point

23. Will County, IL

Photo by Ray Graciano on Unsplash

NWS post-damage storm assessment count since 2000: 697 observations
Worst year for storm damage: 2024 (188 observations)
Total value of occupied housing units: $68.4 billion
Total population: 698,450
County seat: Joliet

22. Shelby County, AL

Photo by Brian Forsyth on Pexels

NWS post-damage storm assessment count since 2000: 703 observations
Worst year for storm damage: 2021 (387 observations)
Total value of occupied housing units: $24.1 billion
Total population: 226,955
County seat: Columbiana

21. DuPage County, IL

Photo by Ray Graciano on Unsplash

NWS post-damage storm assessment count since 2000: 706 observations
Worst year for storm damage: 2024 (318 observations)
Total value of occupied housing units: $114.0 billion
Total population: 927,263
County seat: Wheaton

20. Putnam County, TN

Photo by Glenn Haertlein on Unsplash

NWS post-damage storm assessment count since 2000: 714 observations
Worst year for storm damage: 2020 (519 observations)
Total value of occupied housing units: $5.8 billion
Total population: 81,366
County seat: Cookeville

19. Rankin County, MS

Photo by Josep Castells on Unsplash

NWS post-damage storm assessment count since 2000: 722 observations
Worst year for storm damage: 2019 (237 observations)
Total value of occupied housing units: $11.4 billion
Total population: 158,218
County seat: Brandon

18. Marion County, MS

Photo by James Frid on Pexels

NWS post-damage storm assessment count since 2000: 740 observations
Worst year for storm damage: 2020 (386 observations)
Total value of occupied housing units: $1.1 billion
Total population: 24,303
County seat: Columbia

17. Grady County, OK

Photo by Raychel Sanner on Unsplash

NWS post-damage storm assessment count since 2000: 798 observations
Worst year for storm damage: 2011 (461 observations)
Total value of occupied housing units: $3.4 billion
Total population: 55,868
County seat: Chickasha

16. Pottawatomie County, OK

Photo by Scott May on Unsplash

NWS post-damage storm assessment count since 2000: 801 observations
Worst year for storm damage: 2023 (404 observations)
Total value of occupied housing units: $3.6 billion
Total population: 73,011
County seat: Shawnee

15. Bay County, FL

Photo by Hannah Bickford on Unsplash

NWS post-damage storm assessment count since 2000: 811 observations
Worst year for storm damage: 2018 (527 observations)
Total value of occupied housing units: $17.0 billion
Total population: 181,368
County seat: Panama City

14. Yazoo County, MS

Photo by Justin Wilkens on Unsplash

NWS post-damage storm assessment count since 2000: 826 observations
Worst year for storm damage: 2010 (274 observations)
Total value of occupied housing units: $893.1 million
Total population: 26,837
County seat: Yazoo City

13. Covington County, MS

Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash

NWS post-damage storm assessment count since 2000: 826 observations
Worst year for storm damage: 2020 (443 observations)
Total value of occupied housing units: $829.3 million
Total population: 18,226
County seat: Collins

12. Canadian County, OK

Photo by Skyler Smith on Unsplash

NWS post-damage storm assessment count since 2000: 857 observations
Worst year for storm damage: 2013 (394 observations)
Total value of occupied housing units: $12.7 billion
Total population: 162,621
County seat: El Reno

11. Oklahoma County, OK

Photo by Alan Villegas on Unsplash

NWS post-damage storm assessment count since 2000: 879 observations
Worst year for storm damage: 2024 (430 observations)
Total value of occupied housing units: $52.5 billion
Total population: 800,487
County seat: Oklahoma City

10. Pulaski County, AR

Photo by Scott May on Unsplash

NWS post-damage storm assessment count since 2000: 897 observations
Worst year for storm damage: 2023 (698 observations)
Total value of occupied housing units: $25.4 billion
Total population: 398,949
County seat: Little Rock

9. Jefferson Davis County, MS

Photo by NOAA on Unsplash

NWS post-damage storm assessment count since 2000: 901 observations
Worst year for storm damage: 2020 (432 observations)
Total value of occupied housing units: $428.6 million
Total population: 11,183
County seat: Prentiss

8. Cook County, IL

Photo by Erol Ahmed on Unsplash

NWS post-damage storm assessment count since 2000: 963 observations
Worst year for storm damage: 2024 (589 observations)
Total value of occupied housing units: $480.6 billion
Total population: 5,185,812
County seat: Chicago

7. Hinds County, MS

Photo by Dominik Gryzbon on Pexels

NWS post-damage storm assessment count since 2000: 995 observations
Worst year for storm damage: 2019 (274 observations)
Total value of occupied housing units: $10.0 billion
Total population: 222,494
County seat: Jackson

6. McClain County, OK

Photo by Raychel Sanner on Unsplash

NWS post-damage storm assessment count since 2000: 1,107 observations
Worst year for storm damage: 2011 (517 observations)
Total value of occupied housing units: $3.4 billion
Total population: 43,779
County seat: Purcell

5. Jefferson County, AL

Photo by Zachary Farmer on Unsplash

NWS post-damage storm assessment count since 2000: 1,129 observations
Worst year for storm damage: 2021 (371 observations)
Total value of occupied housing units: $53.3 billion
Total population: 669,744
County seat: Birmingham

4. St. Louis County, MO

Photo by Sid Suratia on Unsplash

NWS post-damage storm assessment count since 2000: 1,311 observations
Worst year for storm damage: 2025 (579 observations)
Total value of occupied housing units: $101.2 billion
Total population: 996,618
County seat: Clayton

3. Wilson County, TN

Photo by Carly Mackler on Unsplash

NWS post-damage storm assessment count since 2000: 1,531 observations
Worst year for storm damage: 2020 (1,128 observations)
Total value of occupied housing units: $19.1 billion
Total population: 153,587
County seat: Lebanon

2. Davidson County, TN

Photo by Austin Wills on Unsplash

NWS post-damage storm assessment count since 2000: 2,773 observations
Worst year for storm damage: 2020 (2,119 observations)
Total value of occupied housing units: $87.4 billion
Total population: 709,846
County seat: Nashville

1. Cleveland County, OK

Photo by Michael on Unsplash

NWS post-damage storm assessment count since 2000: 5,870 observations
Worst year for storm damage: 2013 (4,371 observations)
Total value of occupied housing units: $19.9 billion
Total population: 297,545
County seat: Norman

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