States with the most severe summer weather

Canva With summer weather comes the sun, more daylight, and rumbling midday thunderstorms, but occasionally, the scales tip toward the extreme. As climate change warms the planet, the dog days of summer increasingly bring extreme weather conditions. Climate change exacerbates weirder-than-normal weather, interfering with ocean currents, lending extra heat to tornadoes, extending droughts, and intensifying floods. Heatwaves between 1961 and 2021 increased in duration, frequency, and intensity, according to data from the Environmental Protection Agency. The amount of heavy torrential downpours has also been rising, especially since 1991. In some regions, including the Northeast, Midwest, and Great Plains, downpours are more than 30% above the 1901-1960 average. The reason for the uptick? Warm air contains more water vapor than cold air, so excess moisture finds its way into storm systems, causing more torrential rain. While more severe summer weather affects all of us, certain parts of the United States bear the brunt of these changes. Miami’s summer heat and humidity are particularly intense: The city ranks among the top 10 cities most likely to be hit by a tropical storm or a hurricane. Meteorologists also recommend avoiding New Orleans; Dallas; Mobile, Alabama; and Corpus Christi, Texas, during the summer months. Stacker ranked each state–in addition to the District of Columbia–by the total property damage due to summer weather occurrences from 2013 to 2022, using the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Storm Events Database. A weather event was classified as having occurred in the summer if it happened in June, July, or August. Read on to find out which states are right in the eye of the storm. #51. Delaware Real Window Creative // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $70,204 – Annual property damage per 100K people: $6,893.6 – Most damaging disaster type: Thunderstorm winds ($39,200 in annual damage) #50. Oregon Sean Pavone // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $371,150 – Annual property damage per 100K people: $8,753.3 – Most damaging disaster type: Wildfires ($230,000 in annual damage) #49. Rhode Island George Wirt // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $289,200 – Annual property damage per 100K people: $26,441.5 – Most damaging disaster type: Tropical storms ($185,210 in annual damage) #48. Alabama Kevin Ruck // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $1.4 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $27,048.9 – Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($420,500 in annual damage) #47. Washington DC f11photo // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $191,250 – Annual property damage per 100K people: $28,468.2 – Most damaging disaster type: Thunderstorm winds ($101,250 in annual damage) #46. South Carolina f11photo // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $2.1 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $40,252.0 – Most damaging disaster type: Thunderstorm winds ($708,187 in annual damage) #45. New Jersey Mihai_Andritoiu // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $4.5 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $49,080.3 – Most damaging disaster type: Thunderstorm winds ($3.5 million in annual damage) #44. Georgia Canva – Annual average property damage: $6.1 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $55,683.0 – Most damaging disaster type: Hails ($2.7 million in annual damage) #43. Maine Joseph Sohm // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $775,300 – Annual property damage per 100K people: $55,964.6 – Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($421,400 in annual damage) #42. Florida Mia2you // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $13.3 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $59,718.6 – Most damaging disaster type: Floods ($8.8 million in annual damage) #41. Hawaii Canva – Annual average property damage: $874,600 – Annual property damage per 100K people: $60,727.8 – Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($860,000 in annual damage) #40. Maryland Sean Pavone // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $5.1 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $83,333.1 – Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($2.9 million in annual damage) #39. Pennsylvania ESB Professional // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $12 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $92,460.0 – Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($5.4 million in annual damage) #38. Massachusetts Sean Pavone // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $6.7 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $96,208.8 – Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($3.2 million in annual damage) #37. New York Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $25.3 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $128,352.4 – Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($15.8 million in annual damage) #36. Kentucky Rotorhead 30A Productions // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $6 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $132,199.7 – Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($3.1 million in annual damage) #35. Indiana Sean Pavone // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $9.7 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $141,505.3 – Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($6.8 million in annual damage) #34. Arkansas Canva – Annual average property damage: $4.6 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $152,112.0 – Most damaging disaster type: Thunderstorm winds ($1.8 million in annual damage) #33. Virginia Sean Pavone // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $14.2 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $164,081.9 – Most damaging disaster type: Thunderstorm winds ($7.6 million in annual damage) #32. Connecticut Sean Pavone // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $6.9 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $190,426.6 – Most damaging disaster type: Tropical storms ($5.4 million in annual damage) #31. Idaho Charles Knowles // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $3.8 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $197,785.7 – Most damaging disaster type: Wildfires ($2.1 million in annual damage) #30. Ohio Canva – Annual average property damage: $23.4 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $199,169.4 – Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($11.7 million in annual damage) #29. Oklahoma Sean Pavone // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $8.1 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $201,365.0 – Most damaging disaster type: Tornados ($5.1 million in annual damage) #28. Montana Mihai_Andritoiu // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $2.3 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $205,161.9 – Most damaging disaster type: Thunderstorm winds ($990,770 in annual damage) #27. Kansas Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $6.2 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $211,971.5 – Most damaging disaster type: Tornados ($2.9 million in annual damage) #26. Mississippi Canva – Annual average property damage: $7.1 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $241,593.8 – Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($3.2 million in annual damage) #25. New Hampshire Sean Pavone // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $3.4 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $242,909.6 – Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($3.3 million in annual damage) #24. Nevada randy andy // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $7.8 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $246,272.5 – Most damaging disaster type: Hails ($5 million in annual damage) #23. Arizona Sean Pavone // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $18.4 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $249,683.1 – Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($11 million in annual damage) #22. Minnesota Canva – Annual average property damage: $16.7 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $291,812.0 – Most damaging disaster type: Floods ($4.5 million in annual damage) #21. North Carolina Sharkshock // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $31.3 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $292,280.7 – Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($23.5 million in annual damage) #20. Illinois Sean Pavone // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $38.7 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $307,761.7 – Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($25.6 million in annual damage) #19. New Mexico Sean Pavone // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $6.6 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $310,509.1 – Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($3.5 million in annual damage) #18. Utah Sean Pavone // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $11.7 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $345,543.5 – Most damaging disaster type: Wildfires ($6.2 million in annual damage) #17. Tennessee Kevin Ruck // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $25.6 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $362,508.4 – Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($24 million in annual damage) #16. Missouri TommyBrison // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $22.6 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $365,684.4 – Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($19.6 million in annual damage) #15. Alaska Canva – Annual average property damage: $2.9 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $392,017.5 – Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($1.6 million in annual damage) #14. California Marek Masik // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $184.4 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $472,492.5 – Most damaging disaster type: Wildfires ($164.5 million in annual damage) #13. Vermont Albert Pego // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $3.1 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $479,434.8 – Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($2.2 million in annual damage) #12. Washington Agnieszka Gaul // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $43.7 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $561,205.0 – Most damaging disaster type: Wildfires ($41.8 million in annual damage) #11. Wisconsin Mihai_Andritoiu // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $42.9 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $727,551.5 – Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($14.5 million in annual damage) #10. Wyoming LBill45 // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $4.7 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $801,438.0 – Most damaging disaster type: Floods ($2.7 million in annual damage) #9. West Virginia Sean Pavone // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $21.7 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $1,223,132.8 – Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($11.6 million in annual damage) #8. South Dakota JohnDSmith // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $11.2 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $1,233,768.3 – Most damaging disaster type: Hails ($7.3 million in annual damage) #7. Iowa Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $49.5 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $1,546,090.2 – Most damaging disaster type: Tornados ($33.8 million in annual damage) #6. Nebraska Katherine Welles // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $32.2 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $1,636,407.8 – Most damaging disaster type: Thunderstorm winds ($12.7 million in annual damage) #5. Colorado Canva – Annual average property damage: $113.3 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $1,940,924.7 – Most damaging disaster type: Hails ($61.8 million in annual damage) #4. North Dakota Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $15.4 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $1,976,917.9 – Most damaging disaster type: Hails ($8.7 million in annual damage) #3. Michigan Sean Pavone // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $246.1 million – Annual property damage per 100K people: $2,452,509.6 – Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($218.3 million in annual damage) #2. Texas Sean Pavone // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $5.6 billion – Annual property damage per 100K people: $18,564,520.8 – Most damaging disaster type: Flash floods ($4.5 billion in annual damage) #1. Louisiana Sean Pavone // Shutterstock – Annual average property damage: $3.2 billion – Annual property damage per 100K people: $69,646,412.5 – Most damaging disaster type: Hurricanes ($1.9 billion in annual damage) Data reporting by Emma Rubin. Story editing by Brian Budzynski. Copy editing by Paris Close.