Worst Hurricanes in All 50 States Since 1900

All 50 states have, at some point, felt the effects of a hurricane, tropical storm, depression or remnant of such. Whether it was a re-curving typhoon (what hurricanes are called in the western Pacific) or the remains of a tropical low, there are many ways that tropical systems can affect the United States.

Let's go back to 1900 and see what storms have impacted each individual state in the biggest way. Some of the states, and storms, may really surprise you.

ALABAMA - Hurricane Ivan, 2004

• Landfall: Early Sept. 16, 2004, near Gulf Shores, Alabama, as a Category 3 hurricane with 120-mph sustained winds.
• Damage in Alabama: Estimated at $3.8 billion (2015 USD).
• Storm surge: 5 to 10 feet along Alabama's coast, including a damaging 6.9-foot surge in Mobile Bay. The surge was blamed for the destruction of two five-story buildings.
• Highest wind gusts: 115 mph at Gulf Shores Airport; 105 mph in Mobile; some stations were knocked out.
• Inland winds: 66 mph gust near Montgomery; five wind-related injuries (three in Decatur; two in Talladega County).
• Power outages: More than 489,000 Alabama Power customers lost power during the storm.

Though Hurricane Ivan caused no deaths in Alabama, it was a ferocious storm in practically every other way as it tore a swath of damage from the state’s Gulf Coast all the way to the Tennessee border.

The only storm that compares to Ivan may be the 1926 hurricane, but since that storm only grazed the coastal and southwestern portion of Alabama, Ivan takes the top slot as the worst hurricane to hit Alabama since 1900.

(MORE: 10 Most Intense Atlantic Hurricanes on Record)

ALASKA - Typhoon Ioke, 2006

• Highest wind gusts: 84 mph at Unalaska and 81 mph at Adak.
• Damage in Alaska: Estimated at $113,000 (2015 USD).
• Storm surge: Caused flooding along the Bristol Bay and Kuskokwim Delta coasts.

The remnants of Typhoon Ioke moved north, slamming many of the Aleutian Islands with hurricane-force winds and coastal flooding on Sept. 7-8, 2006. Waves just offshore exceeded 30 feet in height.

Although the system was weakening, heavy rainfall reached the western Alaska mainland, including a daily rainfall record of 1.15 inches at Bethel.

(MORE: 2006 - The Year in Satellite and Radar Imagery)

ARIZONA - Hurricane Norbert, 2014

• Damage in Arizona: In Maricopa and La Paz counties alone, an estimated $18 million (2015 USD).
• Rainfall amounts: Up to 6.09 inches near Chandler. A record calendar-day rainfall of 3.30 inches at Phoenix.

The remnants of Hurricane Norbert from the Eastern Pacific, enhanced in part by leftover moisture from ex-Tropical Storm Dolly from the Gulf of Mexico, caused major flooding across the state in early September of 2014. Countless vehicles were left stranded under feet of water while many roads and bridges were completely destroyed.

Similarly named Hurricane Nora (1997) also caused heavy rain across portions of Arizona. That storm holds the record for tropical cyclone related rainfall in the state, with 12.01 inches at Harquahala Mountain.

(MORE: Southwest Floods, Sept. 8-9, 2014)

ARKANSAS - Hurricane Rita, 2005

• Tornadoes: 11 across the state, including an F2 with winds up to 155 mph in White County.
• Highest non-thunderstorm wind gust: 52 mph at Texarkana.
• Damage in Arkansas: Estimated at $2.5 million.

Hurricane Rita made landfall near the Texas-Louisiana border on Sept. 24, 2005, and continued north into Arkansas. Despite the storm weakening overall as a tropical system, Rita produced a widespread tornado outbreak later that day.

According to Dr. Greg Forbes, Rita produced the fourth largest tropical cyclone tornado outbreak on record with a total of 98 tornadoes in the United States.

(MORE: 5 Hurricanes that Produced the Most Tornadoes)

CALIFORNIA - 1939 Tropical Storm

• Landfall: At San Pedro on Sept. 25, 1939. The only known tropical storm to make landfall in California during the 20th century.
• Damage in California: Estimated at $34 million (2015 USD).
• Fatalities: 48 lives lost at sea; an additional 45 killed from inland flooding.
• Highest rainfall amount: 11.60 inches at Mt. Wilson.

The storm caused major flooding and a combination of wind and rain led to considerable crop and structural damage across California. Needles, a typically dry, desert location, picked up 3.62 inches of rain. Since 1949*, there have only been two entire years with more rainfall recorded at Needles.

Locals were largely unprepared for the effects of the storm. The storm led to the establishment of a Southern California weather forecast office in 1940.

*Data from the 1940s is incomplete at Needles.

(MORE: What's the Likelihood of a Hurricane Hitting California?)

COLORADO - Hurricane Lester, 1992

• Highest rainfall amount: 5.35 inches near Wolf Creek Pass; the most rainfall on record from a tropical cyclone in Colorado.

Hurricane Lester made landfall in Baja California, Mexico, on Aug. 23, 1992. The storm continued northeast, reached Arizona as a tropical storm, then moved through the Rockies before becoming extratropical.

Rainfall was likely enhanced orographically across the mountains as a result of an east to southeast wind driving up the east slopes of the Rockies. This rising motion lifts moisture and aids in the formation of clouds, which in turn results in rainfall.

(MORE: Hurricane Central)

CONNECTICUT - Long Island Express (Hurricane), 1938

• Landfall: Afternoon of Sept. 21, 1938, near Guilford, Connecticut, as a Category 3 hurricane with 115-mph sustained winds.
• Damage in Connecticut: Estimated at $340 million (2015 USD).
• Fatalities: At least 97 in Connecticut, while some sources place the number into the hundreds.
• Storm tides: Approximately 10 to 14 feet. (Storm tides are generally slightly larger than storm surge)
• Power outages: Many communities were without power for several weeks.

The powerful 1938 hurricane was predicted to curve out to sea, as most storms tend to do, as it passed by the Outer Banks of North Carolina early on Sept. 21, 1938. Just hours later, the hurricane continued north and crossed over Long Island and then into southern New England.

Unprepared for the storm and with virtually no advance warning, damage and causalities across the Connecticut shoreline were catastrophic. While Hurricane Sandy in 2012 caused major storm surge across the Connecticut shoreline, inland wind damage from the 1938 hurricane was considerably more widespread.

(PHOTOS: The Great Hurricane of 1938)

DELAWARE - Hurricane Irene, 2011

• Storm surge: 3.3 to 4.5 feet, but water level rises eventually reached about 8 feet, aided by runoff from heavy rainfall.
• Damage in Delaware: Estimated at $2.2 million (2015 USD).
• Fatalities: Two in Delaware, both attributed to flash flooding.
• Strongest wind gust: 66 mph at Lewes.
• Highest rainfall amount: 10.43 inches at Ellendale.

An EF-1 tornado spawned by Irene damaged at least 50 Delaware homes. The strongest sustained winds from Irene stayed just east of the state, but it was heavy rain to the west of the storm's track that hit Delaware the hardest. Irene's center narrowly passed by Delaware to the east from late Aug. 27 to early Aug. 28, 2011.

Due in part to the size of Delaware and its relatively small coastline, a hurricane has never made a recorded landfall in the state. Other close calls from hurricanes in Delaware include Sandy just a year later and a major hurricane in 1944 that also paralleled the coast, a bit further offshore than Irene.

(MORE: Hurricane 360°)

FLORIDA - Hurricane Andrew, 1992

• Landfall: Early on Aug. 24, 1992, just south of Miami as a Category 5 hurricane with 165-mph sustained winds.
• Damage in Florida: Estimated at $43 billion (2015 USD), making it the state's costliest disaster.
• Fatalities: 44 combined directly and indirectly related to Andrew in Florida.
• Storm surge: Up to 14 feet with storm tides of nearly 17 feet.
• Wind gusts: 177 mph at Perrine, 169 mph at Fowey Rocks; 164 mph at the National Hurricane Center.
• Highest rainfall amount: 13.98 inches in the Everglades of Dade County.

Many devastating hurricanes have hit Florida over the years and it was a tough call, but Hurricane Andrew tops this list. Andrew was one of only three Category 5 hurricanes on record to make landfall in the United States. One of the remaining two was the Florida Keys hurricane of 1935.

The Florida Keys hurricane and the Okeechobee hurricane of 1925 caused hundreds of deaths. However, South Florida was much more populated when Andrew hit in 1992. Excellent preparedness likely saved countless lives from Andrew, which destroyed 25,524 homes and damaged 101,241 others.

(PHOTOS: Remembering Hurricane Andrew)

GEORGIA - Tropical Storm Alberto, 1994

• Damage in Georgia: Estimated at $1.2 billion (USD); costliest natural disaster in the state.
• Fatalities: 31 in Georgia, mostly due to vehicles swept away by floodwaters.
• Highest rainfall amount: 27.85 inches near Americus.

Tropical Storm Alberto made landfall across the Florida panhandle on July 3, 1994, and continued north into Georgia. With weak steering currents in the upper atmosphere, the system moved slowly and eventually stalled over the Southeast for several days. The result was catastrophic flooding, especially across Georgia, from extreme amounts of rainfall.

Nine hurricanes have made a direct landfall in the state, or near the South Carolina border, since 1851. Since Georgia is sheltered to the south by Florida, a storm would have to move toward the west or northwest to make landfall in the state. Two major hurricanes did make landfall in Georgia in the late 1800s, in 1893 and 1898.

(Forecast: Atlanta | Columbus | Savannah)

HAWAII - Hurricane Iniki, 1992

• Landfall: Afternoon on Sept. 11, 1992 on the south coast of Kaua'i as a Category 4 hurricane with 140 mph sustained winds.
• Damage in Hawaii: Estimated at $3.1 billion (2015 USD), costliest Pacific hurricane on record in the U.S.
• Fatalities: Seven in Hawaii.
• Power outages: Even four weeks after the storm, power had only been restored to 20 percent of customers.

Damage in Hawaii was attributed to both significant storm surge and intense winds. Crop damage was particularly catastrophic, given tender tropical plants that were in harm’s way. The storm caused an estimated 100 injuries and completely destroyed 1,421 homes.

A tropical ridge of high pressure, which typically shields Hawaii from direct hurricane hits, was weakening and allowed for Iniki to make a northward turn toward the islands. It was only the second hurricane to make landfall in Hawaii since 1900 and was far stronger than the other, 1959's Hurricane Dot.

(A LOOK BACK: Hurricane Iniki Remembered)

IDAHO - Hurricane Kathleen, 1976

• Highest rainfall amount: 2.05 inches near Ketchum.

Idaho, landlocked a great distance from tropical oceans, is rarely significantly impacted by tropical systems. Moisture from the remnants of Hurricane Kathleen did manage to reach Idaho. Kathleen, once a hurricane, weakened as a tropical depression while it crossed southern California in early September of 1976.

Moisture from the system was drawn north across the Intermountain West and northern Rockies with some of it making it as far north as the Canadian border. While the worst of the rain from Kathleen was confined to California, some parts of Idaho did receive between 1 and 2 inches of rain from the system.

(Forecast: Boise | Idaho Falls)

ILLINOIS - Hurricane Ike, 2008

• Damage in Illinois: Estimated at $140 million (2015 USD).
• Fatalities: Two in Illinois due to flooding-related incidents.
• Highest rainfall amount: 10.53 inches near Wheaton.
• Highest wind gust: 67 mph at Cairo.

Hurricane Ike made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane in Texas on Sept. 13, 2008, and continued to turn north and northeast. The storm became extratropical as it interacted with a frontal boundary over Missouri. Leftover moisture combined with frontal interaction resulted in significant rainfall from the Ozarks, right up into the Lower Great Lakes.

Rainfall from Ike caused the Illinois River to surge to record levels at Morris and LaSalle. On Sept. 13, O'Hare International Airport set a daily rainfall record of 6.64 inches. The record was later broken in 2011. Numerous streets and highways were shut down due to high water.

(PHOTOS: Hurricane Ike Five Years Later)

INDIANA - Hurricane Ike, 2008

• Damage in Indiana: Estimated at $110 million (2015 USD).
• Fatalities: Seven total in Indiana, including five from falling limbs/trees.
• Highest rainfall amount: 13.06 inches near La Porte.
• Highest wind speeds: 81 mph in Paoli and 63 mph at Indianapolis International Airport.

As the remnants of Ike continued northeast, heavy rainfall extended from adjacent Illinois into portions of Indiana. Flooding was particularly severe across northern Indiana, but the effects from Ike in the state were not just from rain.

Strong winds accompanied the storm, particularly to the south and east of the storm's track, over central and southern Indiana on Sept. 14, 2008. Winds rapidly increased to tropical storm force, with widespread wind gusts of 50 to 70 mph.

(VIDEO: Hurricane Ike 360)

IOWA - Hurricane Carla, 1961

• Highest rainfall amount: 9.03 inches near Chariton.

Hurricane Carla made landfall as a powerful Category 4 hurricane in Texas on Sept. 11, 1961. As the system moved northward, it interacted with a frontal boundary, producing heavy rain from the Plains into portions of the Middle Mississippi Valley and Great Lakes. Dating back to 1956, no other tropical cyclone has produced a higher rainfall total anywhere in Iowa.

More recently, moisture streaming north from former Tropical Depression Sixteen-E brought heavy rain to a portion of far western Iowa in September of 2015. One observer from Council Bluffs reported 8.00 inches of rain and flooding was common elsewhere in the Middle Missouri Valley.

(MORE: Remnants of Tropical Depression Bring Flash Floods to Omaha Metro Area)

KANSAS - Hurricane Paine, 1986

• Highest rainfall amount: 11.35 inches at Fort Scott.

An eastern Pacific storm, Hurricane Paine, made landfall near San Jose, Mexico as a Category 2 hurricane on Oct. 1, 1986. The storm accelerated to the northeast and transitioned into a wave of low pressure along a frontal boundary in the southern Plains. It caused severe flooding from Oklahoma into portions of Kansas and Missouri.

A swath of at least 4 to 8 inches of rain fell across southeastern Kansas on Oct. 3 alone. Some 8-day rainfall totals exceeded 18 inches in a 40-mile-wide band across portions of the area, including three separate totals of greater than 20 inches, although not all of that rainfall could be directly related to Paine.

(Forecast: Overland Park | Topeka | Wichita)

KENTUCKY - Hurricane Ike, 2008

• Damage in Kentucky: Estimated at $660 million (2015 USD).
• Fatalities: One in Kentucky due to damaging winds.
• Highest wind gust: 74 mph at Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport.
• Power outages: 600,000 customers lost power in the state, which was a record at the time.

While the remnants of Hurricane Ike brought heavy rainfall to portions of the Midwest in mid-September of 2008, a swath of damaging winds was also noted on the eastern side of the system, particularly from the Mid-South into the Ohio Valley. Wind damage across Kentucky was significant with countless trees and power lines knocked down.

A lack of clouds and precipitation allowed for heating in the low levels of the atmosphere across Kentucky. Such an environment is unstable and allows stronger winds (typically confined to higher levels of the atmosphere) to mix down toward the surface.

(PHOTOS: Hurricane Ike Aftermath Aerial Photos Show Storm's Destructive Power)

LOUISIANA - Hurricane Katrina, 2005

• Landfall: Early Aug. 29, 2005, at Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana as a Category 3 hurricane with 125 mph sustained winds.
• Damage in Louisiana: Estimated at $59 billion (2015 USD).
• Damage nationwide: Officially $151 billion (2015 USD), the costliest natural disaster of any kind in United States history.
• Fatalities in Louisiana: At least 816, but the exact figure may never be known. Among the five deadliest U.S. hurricanes on record.
• Storm surge: 11 to 19 feet across the New Orleans area.
• Highest wind gust: Estimated at 140 mph near Grand Isle.
• Highest rainfall amount: 14.82 inches at Big Branch.

Being on the north side of the storm as it reached peak intensity, an east to southeasterly fetch around the large storm effectively pushed water up into New Orleans, with Lake Pontchartrain acting like a funnel. The result in New Orleans was flooding in 80 percent of the city, by as much as 20 feet of water, as many levees failed.

The combination of catastrophic flooding and relatively last-minute evacuation orders left at least tens of thousands of people in harm's way. It should be noted that the official National Hurricane Center forecast as early as 10 p.m. CDT on Aug. 26 showed a near-direct hit on New Orleans. Evacuations were not made mandatory until the morning of Aug. 28.

(MORE: Katrina 10, A Special Report)

MAINE - Hurricane Bob, 1991

• Landfall: Late Aug. 19, 1991, at Rockland, Maine, as a tropical storm with 70 mph sustained winds.
• Damage in Maine: Estimated at $74 million (2015 USD).
• Fatalities: Three in Maine.
• Power outages: Approximately 150,000 customers lost power in the state.
• Highest wind gusts: 94 mph at Blue Hill and 92 mph at Wiscasset.
• Highest rainfall amount: 8.24 inches at Portland.

Hurricane Bob first made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane across eastern Long Island, then over southeastern New England on Aug. 19, 1991. It reached the coast of Maine later in the day, having been downgraded from a hurricane to a high-end tropical storm.

The storm brought a combination of strong winds and heavy rainfall to coastal and other Down East sections of the state. Although not particularly damaging, Bob also caused a 2-to-4-foot storm surge along Maine's coast.

(MORE: Retired Atlantic Hurricane Names: The Most Notorious Storms Since 1954)

MARYLAND - Chesapeake-Potomac Hurricane, 1933

• Damage in Maryland: Estimated at $230 million (2015 USD).
• Fatalities: Four as a result of a storm-related train derailment.
• Storm surge: 6 to 9 feet up much of Chesapeake Bay.
• Highest rainfall amounts: About 10 inches near Salisbury; 7.62 at Baltimore, an all-time daily record.

A hurricane was moving toward the Mid-Atlantic region in late August of 1933. The storm made landfall near Norfolk, Virginia, on Aug. 23 as a Category 1 hurricane and continued northwest, placing much of Maryland in the most damaging right-front quadrant of the storm. This was essentially a worst-case scenario for Maryland.

Given the track of the storm, water was pushed directly up into Chesapeake Bay. Adjacent Washington, D.C., experienced an 11 foot storm surge on the Potomac River. Few hurricanes have rivaled the 1933 storm in Maryland, except for perhaps Hurricane Isabel in 2003. While Isabel was strong, it passed somewhat further south and west of Maryland than the hurricane in 1933.

(MORE: Why Hurricanes Are Named)

MASSACHUSETTS - Long Island Express (Hurricane), 1938

• Damage in Massachusetts: Estimated at $2.7 billion (2015 USD).
• Fatalities: At least 99 in Massachusetts.
• Storm tides: As high as 18 to 25 feet in Buzzards Bay and across parts of Cape Cod.
• Highest winds: Sustained winds as high as 121 mph with a peak gust of 186 mph at Blue Hill.

The fast-moving hurricane made landfall in Connecticut, but remained a hurricane by the time it reached western Massachusetts. The center of the storm passed through the state on Sept. 21, 1938. Much like in Connecticut, heavily forested locales throughout Massachusetts observed significant tree damage from the storm, resulting in prolonged power outages.

While eastern Massachusetts, Cape Cod and the Islands observed the strongest winds and severe coastal flooding, heavy rain caused flooding across the interior of central and western Massachusetts. Rainfall amounts from 3 to 6 inches were estimated there. The Connecticut River at Springfield, Massachusetts, rose to an estimated 8 feet above flood stage.

(MORE: 2013 Marks 75-Year Anniversary of the 1938 hurricane)

MICHIGAN - Hurricane Ike, 2008

• Damage in Michigan: Estimated at $18 million (2015 USD).
• Tornadoes: 5 in the state, including an EF2 in Wayne County.
• Highest rainfall amount: 5.20 inches near Vicksburg.

The remnants of Ike reached the Lower Great Lakes on Sept. 14, 2008. Lying on the northwest side of the storm's track, heavy rain affected much of Lower Michigan. Although the strongest surface winds remained to the south and east, the storm spun up five short-lived tornadoes in the state.

Michigan is not often significantly impacted by tropical systems, mainly due to its interior location in the United States and higher (non-tropical) latitude. However inland states across the Midwest and Lower Great Lakes region were hit fairly hard by Hurricane Ike. Nationally, damage has been estimated at a total of $33 billion (2015 USD) from the storm.

(MORE: Top 10 Most Expensive Hurricanes in History)

MINNESOTA - Hurricane Lester, 1992

• Highest rainfall amount: 3.83 inches near Indus, a Minnesota record for tropical cyclone rainfall.

After drenching the Southwest as a weakening hurricane, Lester kept moving inland, spreading locally heavy rain through portions of the central United States.

What was left of Lester ended up bringing a general 1-to-3-inch rainfall to much of central and southern Minnesota. Some rainfall amounts were locally higher.

(Forecast: Minneapolis | Rochester)

MISSISSIPPI - Hurricane Katrina, 2005

• Landfall: Midday Aug. 29, 2005, in Hancock County, Mississippi as a Category 3 hurricane with 120 mph sustained winds.
• Damage in Mississippi: Estimated at $32 billion (2015 USD).
• Fatalities: At least 238 in Mississippi.
• Storm surge: 27.8 feet at Pass Christian, a United States record.
• Tornadoes: 13 in Mississippi from the outer bands of Katrina.
• Highest wind gust: 135 mph at Poplarville.

The strongest winds and most significant storm surge actually passed east of New Orleans, on the northeast side of the hurricane. This put Mississippi in the direct zone for the strongest blow from Katrina. An emergency operations center in Hancock County, which is 30 feet above sea level, was under a foot of water from the storm.

Katrina exceeded even the effects felt by Hurricane Camille in 1969 in Mississippi. Camille was responsible for a lower but still catastrophic storm surge of 22.6 feet at Pass Christian. With 238 deaths in Mississippi alone, Katrina outranked Camille's toll in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama combined (143 Gulf Coast deaths).

(A LOOK BACK: Hurricane Katrina: Then and Now)

MISSOURI - Tropical Storm Erin, 2007

• Damage in Missouri: Estimated at $23 million (2015 USD).
• Fatalities: One, due to floodwaters.
• Highest rainfall amount: 11.94 inches at Miller.

Tropical Storm Erin developed in the Gulf of Mexico in mid-August of 2007 and proceeded to move inland across Texas. The system went on to phase with approaching energy in the upper atmosphere to re-energize over the central United States. Heavy rain and thunderstorms intensified with the storm over parts of Missouri, particularly the Ozarks.

Interestingly enough, as the system shifted east of Missouri, rainfall amounts elsewhere along its path were generally inconsequential. Another noteworthy stat is that a previous storm named Erin, a hurricane in 1995, produced widespread heavy rainfall over a large portion of the eastern third of the United States.

(Forecast: Kansas City | Springfield | St. Louis)

MONTANA - Hurricane Kathleen, 1976

• Highest rainfall amount: 1.89 inches at Lakeview.

After producing record rainfall across California, remnant moisture from Kathleen streamed across the Intermountain West and northern Rockies in September of 1976.

(Forecast: Billings | Great Falls)

NEBRASKA - Hurricane Lester, 1992

• Highest rainfall amount: 5.20 inches in Arnold.

Positioned in the heart of the central Plains, Nebraska is well-removed from the tropics. However, some rain associated with the remnants of Hurricane Lester reached the state in August of 1992. Lester was most remembered for producing heavy rain in Arizona, but as the system re-emerged east of the Rockies, it produced heavy rain across the central Plains.

Interestingly enough, after this heavy rain event, the pattern stayed wetter than average in Nebraska for just about another year. This ultimately led to one of the state's top 5 floods in late spring to early summer of 1993.

(Forecast: Lincoln | North Platte | Omaha)

NEVADA - Hurricane Norbert, 2014

• Damage in Nevada: Estimated at $10 million (2015 USD).
• Highest rainfall amount: 4.67 inches in Clark County, or more than eight months' worth of rain.

Remnant moisture from Hurricane Norbert affected a large portion of the southwestern United States. Though on the fringe of this moisture, the usually dry climate of Nevada was not prepared for the amount of rain the storm brought to the state.

Norbert caused historic flooding in parts of Nevada, washing away a segment of Interstate 15 northeast of Las Vegas in the process. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimated that the type of rainfall experienced from Norbert should happen once every 500 to 1,000 years in that area, assuming no climate change.

(MORE: Hurricane Norbert Recap)

NEW HAMPSHIRE - Long Island Express (Hurricane), 1938

• Damage in New Hampshire: Estimated at $340 million (2015 USD).
• Fatalities: At least 13 in the state.
• Highest wind gust: A reported 163 mph gust atop Mount Washington.

The swift-moving hurricane in 1938 that first struck southern New England rapidly moved north, placing New Hampshire on the right (east) side of the storm's track. This is the zone that generally experiences the strongest winds with a landfalling hurricane.

With little time for considerable weakening, hurricane-force wind gusts nudged into the state. There was considerable tree damage in New Hampshire, despite being located more than 100 miles inland from where the hurricane made landfall.

(Forecast: Concord | Manchester | Nashua)

NEW JERSEY - Hurricane Sandy, 2012

• Landfall: Late Oct. 29, 2012, near Atlantic City about 2 1/2 hours after transitioning from a hurricane to a post-tropical cyclone.
• Damage in New Jersey: Estimated at $38 billion (2015 USD), costliest disaster in state history.
• Fatalities in New Jersey: 34, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
• Storm surge: Generally 4 to 8 feet. The Sandy Hook area was inundated by 8.9 feet of water.
• Highest wind gust: 91 mph at Seaside Heights.
• Minimum barometric pressure: 945 millibars at landfall; among the lowest sea-level pressure measurements in New Jersey history.

New Jersey is rarely impacted directly by a hurricane, and it can be argued that the path that Sandy took was a worst-case scenario for the state. Sandy may have just been a minimal Category 1 hurricane as it approached New Jersey, but the enormous size of the storm made its impacts far more damaging.

Most tropical storms and hurricanes curve away from New Jersey as they reach its latitude, but Sandy took a sharp left (west) turn into the state – a track unprecedented in NOAA's official hurricane database dating back to 1850. With this track and a large, relatively slow-moving Sandy heading into New Jersey, the results were catastrophic, mainly due to a huge area of wind blowing directly toward shore north of the center, causing a massive storm surge across a heavily populated stretch of shoreline.

(MORE: Superstorm Sandy: Then and Now)

NEW MEXICO - Hurricane Dolly, 2008

• Damage in New Mexico: Estimated at $28 million (2015 USD).
• Highest rainfall amount: 8.53 inches at Sunspot.

Hurricane Dolly made landfall in southern Texas on July 23, 2008. The system continued to move inland to the northwest, eventually reaching New Mexico with locally heavy rain a few days later. The heaviest rains fell across south-central New Mexico.

"Serious flooding" occurred in and around Ruidoso through much of July 27th. As intense as the rain had been, the remnant circulation of the storm dissipated the next day.

(Forecast: Albuquerque | Santa Fe)

NEW YORK - Hurricane Sandy, 2012

• Damage in New York: Estimated at $33 billion (2015 USD).
• Fatalities in New York: 53, according to the Centers for Disease Control, including 32 from drowning.
• Storm surge: As high as 9.43 feet at Bergen Point and a record-breaking 9.41 feet at Battery Park in New York City.
• Highest wind gusts: 90 mph at Islip and 85 mph at JFK Airport.

As Hurricane Sandy approached the New Jersey coast, Long Island felt the brunt of the strongest winds for several hours before the storm made landfall. Record wave heights of 32.5 feet were measured at a buoy just outside of New York Harbor. Several feet of water also inundated lower Manhattan, flooding out many subway stations.

While the 1938 "Long Island Express" hurricane was stronger than Sandy when it hit Long Island, damage was over a comparatively smaller area. Likewise, although the remnants of Tropical Storm Irene caused major flooding in Upstate New York in 2011, Sandy affected a much larger population with severe flooding.

(MORE: Superstorm Sandy: A Daily Diary)

NORTH CAROLINA - Hurricane Floyd, 1999

• Landfall: Early on Sept. 16, 1999, near Cape Fear as a Category 2 hurricane with 110-mph sustained winds.
• Damage in North Carolina: Estimated at $8.6 billion (2015 USD).
• Fatalities: 35 in the state. More than 3 million farm animals perished.
• Storm surge: Up to 15 feet at Long Beach.
• Highest wind gust: 122 mph near Topsail Beach.
• Power outages: At least 500,000 customers in North Carolina.
• Highest rainfall amount: 24.06 inches near Southport.

Although winds were strong, the majority of the damage from Floyd in the state was attributed to flooding. Virtually the entire state, east of the Appalachian Mountains, experienced heavy rain from Floyd. Wilmington reported a 24-hour rainfall record of 13.38 inches and over 19 inches total from the storm. 

About 7,000 homes were destroyed and 56,000 others were damaged in North Carolina. Statewide, 44 out of 66 counties were declared major disaster areas. Up and down the East Coast, 3 million residents evacuated, which at the time was the second largest United States evacuation on record.

(MORE: Top 10 Biggest Weather Anniversaries of 2014)

NORTH DAKOTA - Hurricane Javier, 2004

• Highest rainfall amount: 1.34 inches at Homme Dam.

North Dakota lies across the northernmost Plains of the United States, more than 900 miles from the Pacific Ocean and over 1,000 miles from both the Gulf of Mexico and East Coast. Tropical systems rarely have much of an impact on the state, but occasionally some residual tropical moisture can stream into the area.

In mid-September of 2004, Hurricane Javier weakened over the Eastern Pacific and crossed into northwestern Mexico before dissipating. Mid-level moisture from the system ejected northeast into the Rockies and eventually the Dakotas. Dating back to 1956, the most rainfall associated with a tropical cyclone in North Dakota can be identified as occurring from Javier in 2004.

(Forecast: Bismarck | Fargo)

OHIO - Hurricane Ike, 2008

• Damage in Ohio: Estimated at $850 million (2015 USD), the second-costliest disaster in state history.
• Fatalities: At least four attributed to the storm in Ohio.
• Highest wind gust: 75 mph at Port Columbus International Airport.
• Power outages: Nearly 2 million customers lost power in Ohio.

After causing damage across Indiana and Kentucky, the remnants from Hurricane Ike crossed through Ohio. Much like in Kentucky, rain was virtually a non-issue from this storm in Ohio; rather, it was wind that caused significant damage.

Damaging winds persisted for several hours across the state, longer than typical thunderstorms, and produced widespread wind damage across Ohio. The only weather event to have caused more damage in terms of cost in Ohio was the Xenia tornado in the Super Outbreak of 1974.

(Forecast: Cincinnati | Cleveland | Columbus)

OKLAHOMA - Tropical Storm Erin, 2007

• Damage in Oklahoma: Estimated at $5.9 million (2015 USD).
• Fatalities: Six in the state due to flash flooding.
• Highest wind gust: 82 mph at Watonga Airport.
• Highest rainfall amount: 12.81 inches near Eakly.

The remnant low of Erin spun up three brief tornadoes in Oklahoma on Sept. 18, 2007. Despite Tropical Storm Erin never becoming an official hurricane, the remnants of the storm later went on to produce hurricane-force wind gusts in Oklahoma the next day as the system re-intensified.

This storm system re-intensified over Oklahoma due to the "brown ocean" phenomenon. In an unfortunate Catch-22, saturated soils already in place over Oklahoma provided moisture to re-energize Erin, which then inundated much of Oklahoma with even more heavy rain. Radar imagery even appeared to show an eye-like feature around convective bands as the system passed just northwest of Oklahoma City.

(MORE: 'Brown Oceans' Known to Fuel Tropical Systems Over Land)

OREGON - Columbus Day Storm (ex-Typhoon Freda), 1962

• Damage in Oregon: Estimated at $1.6 billion (2015 USD) to property alone, not including timber losses.
• Highest wind gust: Officially 138 mph at Newport; a damaged anemometer at Cape Blanco clocked a 179-mph gust.

Typhoon Freda moved toward the waters south of Alaska in the Pacific before dissipating to a remnant low in early October of 1962. This energy was picked up by the jet stream and approached the U.S. West Coast in the following days. The storm system then rapidly re-intensified into a powerful non-tropical cyclone just as it approached the Pacific Northwest.

Widespread hurricane-force winds were felt across the region, with gusts exceeding 100 mph in much of the Willamette Valley, the state's most populated region. Gusts reached 116 mph in downtown Portland, 104 mph at Portland International Airport, and 127 mph in Corvallis. More than 50,000 buildings and homes were damaged in Oregon; in some communities, damaged homes outnumbered undamaged homes. Severe winds also caused major damage to crops and farms. Many cities lost power for two to three weeks from the storm.

(MORE: Columbus Day "Big Blow", 1962)

PENNSYLVANIA - Hurricane Agnes, 1972

• Damage in Pennsylvania: Estimated $12 billion (2015 USD), the costliest disaster in state history.
• Fatalities: 48 in the state.
• Highest rainfall amount: 19.00 inches in western Schuylkill County. 

Agnes, one of the largest June hurricanes on record, made landfall on June 19, 1972, in the Florida Panhandle. The storm turned northeast up the Eastern Seaboard, re-energized as a tropical storm and swung back to the northwest, making a second landfall near New York City. 

As Agnes merged with an extratropical cyclone over Pennsylvania, it produced prolific amounts of rain across the state. Many areas experienced their worst flooding on record. In Pennsylvania alone, more than 2,000 homes were destroyed and over 60,000 others were damaged.

(MORE: Pennsylvania Man Reunited with Class Ring Lost During Hurricane Agnes)

RHODE ISLAND - Long Island Express (Hurricane), 1938

• Damage in Rhode Island: Estimated at $1.1 billion (2015 USD).
• Fatalities: 262 in the state.
• Storm surge: 12 to 15 feet at Narragansett Bay, which destroyed most coastal homes and marinas.
• Highest wind gusts: 125 mph at Providence and 121 mph at Block Island.

The Long Island Express hurricane of 1938 took what could be considered a worst-case scenario track for Rhode Island. With the strong, fast-moving hurricane making landfall just to the west in Connecticut, the strongest winds tore through the entire state of Rhode Island. 

The storm surge associated with the storm was particularly devastating. Narragansett Bay worked as a funnel to push 10 to 20 feet of water onshore, which was the primary cause for loss of life. Downtown Providence, the capital of Rhode Island, was submerged with a storm tide of nearly 20 feet.

(Forecast: Newport | Providence)

SOUTH CAROLINA - Hurricane Hugo, 1989

• Landfall: Early on Sept. 22, 1989, near Sullivan Island as a Category 4 hurricane with 140-mph sustained winds.
• Damage in South Carolina: Estimated at $11 billion (2015 USD).
• Fatalities: 29 in the state.
• Storm tides: Up to 19.8 feet at Bulls Bay. Storm surge up to 16 feet at McClellanville.
• Highest wind gust: 137 mph at the Charleston Naval Station.
• Highest rainfall amount: 10.28 inches at Edisto Island.

Hurricane Hugo was forced northwest into South Carolina as it passed between a low pressure system and a subtropical ridge of high pressure. Aided by the warm Gulf Stream waters, the storm strengthened before landfall. There was considerable tree damage inland across South Carolina, with about 75 percent of the trees blown down in the 250,000-acre Francis Marion National Forest.

The state's barrier islands, which are generally less than 10 feet above sea level, were completely inundated by Hugo's storm surge. The majority of homes in beach towns such as Sullivan's Island and the Isle of Palms were completely destroyed.

(VIDEO: What is Storm Surge?)

SOUTH DAKOTA - Hurricane Lester, 1992

• Highest rainfall amount: 3.29 inches at Armour.

While not typically affected in any significant way from most tropical systems, Lester produced locally heavy rain over much of the central and northern Plains. The 3.29 inch rainfall amount is the most on record in South Dakota to be associated with a tropical system, dating back to 1950.

Lester, which came from the Eastern Pacific, was completely overshadowed by another hurricane that came from the Atlantic at the same time. That was Andrew, which had made landfall in Florida and was moving into the Gulf of Mexico en route to a second landfall in Louisiana as the remnant moisture from Lester was fizzling over the north-central United States.

(Forecast: Rapid City | Sioux Falls)

TENNESSEE - Hurricane Opal, 1995

• Damage in Tennessee: Estimated at $3.1 million (2015 USD).
• Highest wind gust: 51 mph at Knoxville.
• Highest rainfall amounts: 6.17 inches at Tullahoma; 5.80 inches at Mount Le Conte.

Hurricane Opal made landfall near Pensacola, Florida, on Oct. 4, 1995, as a borderline Category 2/Category 3 hurricane. The storm continued to weaken as it moved north-northeast, spreading heavy rain from the Gulf Coast all the way north into portions of southeastern Canada.

The heaviest rains from Opal moved up into Middle Tennessee, where considerable flash flooding was observed. Damage in the state was attributed to a combination of flooding and gusty winds, with the most significant wind damage across the higher terrain over eastern Tennessee.

"For a state that borders two Gulf Coast states and four East Coast states, it's somewhat surprising Tennessee hasn't seen a tropical cyclone with bigger impacts," said weather.com senior meteorologist Nick Wiltgen. "We looked at inland winds, flooding and even tornadoes from tropical cyclones, and in all of those categories Tennessee has been surprisingly lucky in modern times given its geographic location," Wiltgen noted.

(MORE: What is the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale?)

TEXAS - Galveston Hurricane, 1900

• Landfall: Late on Sept. 8, 1900, at Galveston, Texas, as a Category 4 hurricane with 145-mph sustained winds.
• Damage in Texas: Estimated at $810 million (2015 USD).
• Fatalities: At least 8,000 in Texas.
• Storm surge: Approximately 15 feet.

Dr. Isaac M. Cline, manager of the local office of the U.S. Weather Bureau, raised warning flags in Galveston on Sept. 7 and began to get the word out for people to move to higher ground. Even though the hurricane went on to be the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history, it is likely that his actions saved many lives. Damage was catastrophic across Galveston Island. 

The highest point in Galveston was estimated at 8.7 feet above sea level, but the storm surge from this hurricane was nearly twice that height. About 3,000 homes were completely destroyed. In the years immediately following the storm, a 17-foot high sea wall was constructed to protect Galveston from a hurricane, and sand was used to raise the entire island. 

(MORE: The Most Devastating Hurricanes in U.S. History)

UTAH - Hurricane Linda, 2015

• Fatalities: 20 in Utah attributed to flooding from the storm.
• Highest rainfall amount: 4.11 inches at an elevation of 8,560 at Alta.

Linda developed south of Baja California in early September of 2015 and went on to become a major hurricane for a time. Although the storm weakened as a tropical system while moving northwestward, it spread a surge of moisture into much of the southwestern United States.

Remnant moisture from the storm pushed heavy rains into southern Utah. Too much rain fell over a short period of time for the desert region to handle such amounts of water. This combined with floodwaters rushing down mountains in southern Utah led to a serious flood situation, that extended south to the Arizona border.

(MORE: 20 Dead After Devastating Flooding Near Utah-Arizona Border) 

VERMONT - Hurricane Irene, 2011

• Damage in Vermont: About $580 million has been spent on state recovery efforts.
• Fatalities: Six in the state.
• Highest wind gust: 49 mph at Burlington.
• Highest rainfall amount: Approximately 11 inches.

Despite weakening over the New York City area as a tropical storm, Irene continued north with a large swath of heavy rain. Irene caused some of the worst flooding on record in the state of Vermont. Flash flooding left more than 1,500 buildings significantly damaged, and at least 1,405 households were displaced, either temporarily or permanently.

Road damage was particularly extreme in some parts of the state. More than 200 bridges and 500 miles of highway were destroyed in the storm. A total of 13 communities were left without any passable roads leading in or out of town following the storm.

(MORE: Vermont Coping 2 Years After Irene)

VIRGINIA - Hurricane Isabel, 2003

• Damage in Virginia: Estimated at $2.4 billion (2015 USD).
• Fatalities: 32 in the state.
• Storm tides: 6 to 9 feet in Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River Basin.
• Highest wind gusts: Officially 91 mph at Gloucester Point; unofficial gust of 107 mph on Gwynns Island.
• Highest rainfall amount: 20.20 inches at Upper Sherando.
• Power outages: 1.8 million Virginia customers lost power at some point during the storm.

Isabel made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane over eastern North Carolina around midday on Sept. 18, 2003. The storm continued on a northwest path, a near worst-case scenario, bringing a swath of strong winds and intense rains across much of Virginia. Due to upslope wind flow, rainfall was locally enhanced on the east side of the Appalachians.

Damage from the storm left more than 1,000 homes completely destroyed and over 9,000 damaged in Virginia. The amount of debris was estimated at 20 million cubic yards.

(MORE: Hurricane Isabel: 10th Anniversary of a Monster Storm)

WASHINGTON - Columbus Day Storm (ex-Typhoon Freda), 1962

• Fatalities: 46 across the Pacific Northwest, including seven in Washington alone.
• Damage in Washington: Likely more than $400 million (2015 USD), not including timber losses.
• Highest wind gust: 100 mph at Renton.

Washington and neighboring Oregon both consider the Columbus Day Storm of 1962, whose origins involved the remnants of Typhoon Freda from the western Pacific, as one of their most extreme weather events on record. Hurricane-force winds penetrated tens of miles inland across the Pacific Northwest. The Naselle Radar Station in southwest Washington measured wind velocities above the ground up to 160 mph.

Total timber loss between Oregon and Washington from this storm was estimated at 11.2 billion board feet. Adjusted for inflation, the value of the timber was nearly $6 billion, though a substantial amount of the downed timber was recovered and processed after Congress approved emergency funding for new logging roads.

(MORE: Worst Western U.S. Disasters)

WEST VIRGINIA - Hurricane Agnes, 1972

• Damage in West Virginia: Estimated at $44 million (2015 USD).
• Highest rainfall amount: 7.94 inches at Berkeley Springs.

Hurricane Agnes affected a large portion of the eastern United States with heavy rainfall and gusty winds from June 19-24, 1972. Although the storm had weakened to a tropical storm as it moved inland, some of the heaviest rains were observed across the central Appalachians, including eastern West Virginia.

Severe flooding occurred at most locations in the tributaries along the south side of the Potomac River. More than 100 homes were completely destroyed and more than 1,200 other buildings were also damaged from the storm. A total of 1,946 families suffered some sort of property loss in the state.

(MORE: 75 Percent of U.S. Deaths from Tropical Systems Are from Water, Not Wind)

WISCONSIN - Hurricane Carla, 1961

• Highest rainfall amount: 7.58 inches at Brodhead.

Remnants from Hurricane Carla connected with a frontal boundary across the central Plains, producing locally heavy rainfall northeastward into the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes. Wisconsin was among eight states in the central U.S. that received locally in excess of 7 inches of rain from the system.

Dating back to 1956, Hurricane Carla holds the tropical cyclone record for producing the highest rainfall amount in the state of Wisconsin.

(Forecast: Green Bay | Madison | Milwaukee)

WYOMING - Hurricane Kathleen, 1976

• Highest rainfall amount: Approximately 1 inch in northwestern Wyoming.

Wyoming does not have much of a history when it comes to hurricanes or any tropical moisture for that matter. Although the record for rainfall in the state associated with a tropical cyclone is held by Hurricane Javier in 2004, when 2 inches fell, the connection between Hurricane Kathleen (1976) and Wyoming is a bit more fascinating.

A white ibis was first sighted about 25 miles south-southeast of Sheridan, Wyoming, on Sept. 12, 1976. The bird remained there the next day before it seemingly vanished. Ibises are not native to Wyoming. They are typically found in far warmer climates such as southern Mexico, Central America, the Gulf Coast and the Caribbean.

Considering that the air mass associated with the remnants of Hurricane Kathleen reached Wyoming on the same day of the ibis sighting, it is entirely possible that winds several thousand feet above the ground drew the bird north into the Rockies.

Tropical birds have, in many cases, been trapped within the strong winds above a tropical cyclone, only to be transported hundreds or even thousands of miles away. Another interesting case of this happening was an account of tropical monk parrots being discovered in Connecticut following Hurricane Gloria (1985).

Whether it's damaging winds, severe flooding or the relocation of tropical birds, there are many ways that a tropical system can impact any state in the country.

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