Although the comforts of the modern age make life easier, they don’t always make us safer. Unpredictable in nature, weather-related events hold the capability to devastate entire lives.
Since 1980, weather and climate disasters have cost the U.S. over $1 trillion in property costs. The human cost is a more elusive figure. In 2015 alone, 517 people died due to weather events. Additionally, severe weather carries a PTSD risk. Weather presents a real danger to any community. Whether you live in Tornado Alley, a coastal area with a hurricane risk or a quiet mountain town, each area has its own risks.
The data scientists at WeatherDB, part of the Graphiq network, crunched the numbers to determine the counties in each state with the deadliest weather. Fatality data and cost estimates were collected from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Severe Weather Data Inventory. The total fatalities from each county were normalized to fatalities per 100,000 people. Fatality numbers and damage estimates are the sums from the 1996-2015 collection period. Population data comes from the 2014 American Community Survey. Only counties with at least 10,000 residents were considered for the list. The county with the most fatalities per 100,000 residents was selected for each state. The following list of counties is ranked based on rate of fatalities.
Note: Damage and fatality data reported from National Weather Service zones that cover multiple counties were distributed equally among the counties within the zone.
#50. Fairfield County, CT
Fatalities per 100K People: 1.82
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 14
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $32 million
Population: 934,215
#49. Franklin County, MA
Fatalities per 100K People: 2.81
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 2
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $67 million
Population: 71,300
#48. Washington County, RI
Fatalities per 100K People: 3.16
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 3
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $30 million
Population: 126,609
#47. Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK
Fatalities per 100K People: 4.17
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 8*
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $4.4 million
Population: 93,843
*Due to the mapping of National Weather Service zones to counties, the number of fatal weather events could be over-reported
#46. Sussex County, DE
Fatalities per 100K People: 5.89
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 11
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $68 million
Population: 203,737
#45. Lyon County, NV
Fatalities per 100K People: 9.11
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 12*
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $484 million
Population: 51,579
*Due to the mapping of National Weather Service zones to counties, the number of fatal weather events could be over-reported
#44. Cape May County, NJ
Fatalities per 100K People: 10.39
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 7
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $176 million
Population: 96,286
#43. Talbot County, MD
Fatalities per 100K People: 10.56
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 4
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $12 million
Population: 37,894
#42. Piscataquis County, ME
Fatalities per 100K People: 11.58
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 2
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $4.5 million
Population: 17,271
#41. Clarendon County, SC
Fatalities per 100K People: 11.61
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 7
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $20 million
Population: 34,439
#40. Rutland County, VT
Fatalities per 100K People: 13.14
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 4
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $80 million
Population: 60,864
#39. Mackinac County, MI
Fatalities per 100K People: 18.05
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 1
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $410 thousand
Population: 11,080
#38. Walsh County, ND
Fatalities per 100K People: 18.10
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 2
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $44 million
Population: 11,052
#37. Coos County, NH
Fatalities per 100K People: 18.63
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 4
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $15 million
Population: 32,202
#36. Philadelphia County, PA
Fatalities per 100K People: 20.75
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 79
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $57 million
Population: 1,546,920
#35. Shannon County, SD
Fatalities per 100K People: 21.42
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 3
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $6.1 million
Population: 14,005
#34. Colfax County, NM
Fatalities per 100K People: 22.62
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 4
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $4.2 million
Population: 13,264
#33. Pike County, IN
Fatalities per 100K People: 23.56
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 4
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $16 million
Population: 12,733
#32. Teton County, ID
Fatalities per 100K People: 24.48
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 4*
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $3.1 million
Population: 10,212
*Due to the mapping of National Weather Service zones to counties, the number of fatal weather events could be over-reported
#31. Buchanan County, VA
Fatalities per 100K People: 25.33
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 4
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $41 million
Population: 23,683
#30. Lincoln County, WA
Fatalities per 100K People: 25.94
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 3*
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $42 million
Population: 10,409
*Due to the mapping of National Weather Service zones to counties, the number of fatal weather events could be over-reported
#29. Bayfield County, WI
Fatalities per 100K People: 26.55
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 3
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $4.1 million
Population: 15,064
#28. Coconino County, AZ
Fatalities per 100K People: 27.24
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 18
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $40 million
Population: 135,817
#27. Delaware County, NY
Fatalities per 100K People: 31.76
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 5
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $437 million
Population: 47,223
#26. Massac County, IL
Fatalities per 100K People: 33.01
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 4
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $54 million
Population: 15,148
#25. Big Horn County, MT
Fatalities per 100K People: 38.23
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 4
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $6 million
Population: 13,079
#24. Ritchie County, WV
Fatalities per 100K People: 39.14
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 1
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $7 million
Population: 10,221
#23. Kauai County, HI
Fatalities per 100K People: 39.28
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 16
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $32 million
Population: 68,745
#22. Pitkin County, CO
Fatalities per 100K People: 42.38
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 18*
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $3 million
Population: 17,303
*Due to the mapping of National Weather Service zones to counties, the number of fatal weather events could be over-reported
#21. Curry County, OR
Fatalities per 100K People: 43.27
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 6*
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $9.8 million
Population: 22,341
*Due to the mapping of National Weather Service zones to counties, the number of fatal weather events could be over-reported
#20. Morgan County, KY
Fatalities per 100K People: 44.37
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 1
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $8.4 million
Population: 13,522
#19. York County, NE
Fatalities per 100K People: 50.74
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 4
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $127 million
Population: 13,797
#18. Calhoun County, FL
Fatalities per 100K People: 54.58
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 2
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $162 million
Population: 14,657
#17. Osage County, KS
Fatalities per 100K People: 55.68
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 8
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $10 million
Population: 16,165
#16. Adams County, OH
Fatalities per 100K People: 56.45
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 5
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $33 million
Population: 28,342
#15. Yellow Medicine County, MN
Fatalities per 100K People: 58.63
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 3
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $32 million
Population: 10,233
#14. Sublette County, WY
Fatalities per 100K People: 61.38
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 12*
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $1 million
Population: 10,183
*Due to the mapping of National Weather Service zones to counties, the number of fatal weather events could be over-reported
#13. Gray County, TX
Fatalities per 100K People: 61.48
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 4
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $63 million
Population: 22,771
#12. Macon County, TN
Fatalities per 100K People: 62.00
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 1
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $41 million
Population: 22,582
#11. Bertie County, NC
Fatalities per 100K People: 62.87
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 3
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $48 million
Population: 20,677
#10. Scott County, AR
Fatalities per 100K People: 63.50
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 3
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $25 million
Population: 11,024
#9. Washita County, OK
Fatalities per 100K People: 68.83
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 2
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $148 million
Population: 11,622
#8. Mitchell County, GA
Fatalities per 100K People: 69.04
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 4
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $47 million
Population: 23,175
#7. Mariposa County, CA
Fatalities per 100K People: 69.65
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 8*
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $138 million
Population: 17,946
*Due to the mapping of National Weather Service zones to counties, the number of fatal weather events could be over-reported
#6. Butler County, IA
Fatalities per 100K People: 73.50
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 3
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $165 million
Population: 14,966
#5. Juab County, UT
Fatalities per 100K People: 77.30
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 25*
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $1.4 million
Population: 10,349
*Due to the mapping of National Weather Service zones to counties, the number of fatal weather events could be over-reported
#4. Marion County, AL
Fatalities per 100K People: 91.72
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 4
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $197 million
Population: 30,527
#3. Hancock County, MS
Fatalities per 100K People: 128.50
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 3
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $5.9 billion
Population: 45,136
#2. Jasper County, MO
Fatalities per 100K People: 147.01
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 11
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $3 billion
Population: 116,996
#1. St. Bernard Parish, LA
Fatalities per 100K People: 342.95
Number of Deadly Weather Events: 2
Total Damage (Inflation Adjusted to 2015 Value): $11.7 billion
Population: 41,114
