34,482
Recorded events
3,030
Counties affected
370
Direct deaths
$5.9B
Property damage
The 1998 severe weather season produced 34,482 recorded events across 3,030 U.S. counties, with 370 direct deaths. It ranks #15 among all years in the archive by event count.
Through the year
1998 severe weather by month
By hazard type
What hit the U.S. in 1998
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 13,603 | 39 | $1.4B |
| Hail | 12,560 | 1 | $1.3B |
| Flash Flood | 3,569 | 118 | $906.6M |
| Tornado | 1,529 | 130 | $1.7B |
| Lightning | 901 | 44 | $38.0M |
| Flood | 807 | 4 | $28.9M |
| Heavy Rain | 650 | 11 | $45.3M |
| Funnel Cloud | 440 | 0 | $50K |
| Waterspout | 174 | 0 | $45K |
| Wildfire | 109 | 0 | $398.3M |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 53 | 0 | $8.7M |
| Rip Current | 32 | 19 | $0 |
Deadliest days
The deadliest events of 1998
| Date | Event | County | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 9, 1998 | Tornado F5 | Jefferson County, Alabama | 32 | 258 |
| Feb 23, 1998 | Tornado F3 | Osceola County, Florida | 25 | 145 |
| Feb 23, 1998 | Tornado F3 | Seminole County, Florida | 12 | 36 |
| Oct 17, 1998 | Flash Flood | Bexar County, Texas | 11 | 600 |
| Mar 20, 1998 | Tornado F3 | Hall County, Georgia | 10 | 96 |
| Aug 24, 1998 | Flash Flood | Val Verde County, Texas | 9 | 150 |
| Oct 4, 1998 | Flash Flood | Jackson County, Missouri | 9 | 0 |
| Jan 8, 1998 | Flash Flood | Carter County, Tennessee | 7 | 0 |
| Oct 17, 1998 | Flash Flood | Caldwell County, Texas | 6 | 500 |
| May 31, 1998 | Tornado F4 | McCook County, South Dakota | 6 | 150 |
Violent tornadoes
EF4 and EF5 tornadoes of 1998
| Date | Scale | Touchdown county | Deaths | Path |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-04-08 | EF5 | Tuscaloosa County, Alabama | 32 | 30.3 mi |
| 1998-04-16 | EF5 | Hardin County, Tennessee | 3 | 69.4 mi |
| 1998-05-30 | EF4 | Hanson County, South Dakota | 6 | 14.0 mi |
| 1998-04-16 | EF4 | Mississippi County, Arkansas | 2 | 5.0 mi |
| 1998-03-29 | EF4 | Murray County, Minnesota | 1 | 73.5 mi |
| 1998-05-07 | EF4 | Caldwell County, North Carolina | 0 | 4.0 mi |
| 1998-06-11 | EF4 | Hancock County, Indiana | 0 | 13.2 mi |
| 1998-06-02 | EF4 | Somerset County, Pennsylvania | 0 | 36.5 mi |