A look back at the top US Weather Events of 2024

The weather over the last 12 months has impacted the lives of millions of Americans across the country. From severe weather and hurricanes to a total solar eclipse and even beyond, 2024 was a year filled with devastating loss as well as several once-in-a-lifetime events.

We begin with the record heat of 2024. According to NOAA, the first 11 months (and most likely all 12 months) of the year ranked as the warmest period for the continental United States in 130 years of records.

Every state saw far-above-average temperatures from January through November. But 22 states had their record-warmest first 11 months of the year. NOAA says 2024 is on pace to wind up as one of the warmest two years on record, depending on December's outcome. That report will be released on January 9th.

Next up are the “bomb cyclones” that slammed into the Pacific Northwest. A series of atmospheric river storms slammed into California and the West Coast in February, triggering numerous landslides, mudslides, flash flooding and high-water rescues.

The onslaught of relentless precipitation led to issues up and down California, including heavy rain in Los Angeles, which had its fourth-wettest February on record.

Southern California, including downtown Los Angeles was under a rare "high risk" of flash flooding as storms dumped several inches of rain across the region in just a matter of days. A State of Emergency was declared by California’s Governor for several counties in Southern California to help storm response and recovery efforts. For the first time ever, the NWS office in the Bay Area issued its first-ever Hurricane-Force Wind Warning for the waters off parts of the Central California coast, where wind gusts were clocked over hurricane force (74-plus mph).

The storms didn’t spare the northern and central sections of the state either, with torrential rain and wind gusts climbing over 70 mph. Nearly 1 million customers were without power across California. The Golden State mobilized a record 8,500 emergency responders ready for flooding, landslide and travel emergencies, according to the Governor's office.

The total solar eclipse of 2024 was a unique celestial event that marveled millions of Americans this year. In April, more than 30 million people across 15 states from Texas to Maine were treated to a powerful and emotional celestial display. It was the last total solar eclipse visible in the continental U.S. for decades.

The eclipse began in Mazatlan, Mexico, and quickly moved to the northeast, eventually reaching Eagle Pass, Texas. Over the next hour, it zoomed across America's heartland, through the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes, and into the Northeast and New England.

The next best chance to catch a total solar eclipse in the Lower 48 states will be Aug. 12, 2045. The 2045 event will be seen in major cities like Salt Lake City, Oklahoma City, and Orlando. The majority of the country won’t find itself under the path of totality, but most of the entire country will at least see a partial event.

The May tornado outbreak in the central and eastern US was one of the biggest weather events of 2024. A severe weather outbreak over the Memorial Day weekend left dozens of people dead, including children, when tornadoes, hail and damaging winds were reported across several states.

The worst of the outbreak occurred during the overnight hours on May 25 when at least 20 tornadoes were reported, with a swath of damage in Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Alabama. Another wave of powerful and deadly storms produced more tornadoes and caused widespread damage the following day.

7 Children were killed in Texas after a tornado hit a travel stop and RV park. There were at least eight storm-related deaths in Arkansas, two in Oklahoma, five in Kentucky, one in Alabama, one in Missouri, one in North Carolina and one in Virginia.

In addition to the May outbreak, 2024 had the 2nd highest reported tornadoes since 2011 with 4 states breaking all time records. Preliminary reports have over 1,760 tornadoes as of mid December. That’s not including the multiple tornadoes that moved through the mid South this past weekend.

While this year won't set a record, the 2024 tornadoes will wind up far above the 20-year average of 1,248. It’s also important to note that Florida saw its single biggest outbreak of tornadoes since 1954 from Hurricane Milton. The 46 twisters Milton produced were more than double the previous modern-era record of 15 Florida tornadoes spawned by Hurricane Irma in September 2017.

The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season started with a whisper and finished with a resounding roar. It was above-average with 18 named tropical systems, 11 hurricanes, five of which were major hurricanes. And five made landfall in the U.S. There were hundreds of deaths in the U.S., Central America and the Caribbean.

The 2024 hurricane season will be one of the costliest seasons on record according to NOAA with damage estimates ranging from $200-$400 billion dollars. Beryl, Debby, Francine, Helene and Milton each made landfall in the continental U.S. during 2024, tying for fourth place with 1893, 2004 and 2005. A record six landfalls occurred in 1886, 1985 and 2020.

Hurricane Milton made landfall as a Category-3 near Siesta Key, Florida, on October 9 and resulted in a tornado outbreak that produced 46 tornadoes and caused torrential rainfall and localized flooding with total rainfall amounts in excess of 10-15 inches. Milton produced a destructive storm surge between Siesta Key, Florida, and Ft. Myers Beach, Florida, including Charlotte Harbor. Milton's explosive rate of rapid intensification was among the highest ever recorded, with a 90-mile-per-hour increase in wind speed during a 24-hour period from October 6 to October 7. Hurricane Milton rocketed into the second Category 5 hurricane of the season; it was also the strongest tropical cyclone worldwide in 2024.

Hurricane Debby formed from a tropical depression that developed near Cuba on August 2. Debby made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane slamming into the Big Bend region of Florida on Aug. 5, with 80 mph winds. About 500,000 people lost power in Florida due to the storm. Hurricane Debby's primary impact across Florida was flooding due to heavy rainfall, but a notable storm surge of 3 to 5 feet across portions of the Nature Coast and the southeast Big Bend still brought damage to the immediate coastline where many are still recovering from Hurricane Idalia which came ashore less than one year prior.

Debby drenched Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Greenpond, South Carolina, reported 14 inches of rainfall, surpassing monthly averages for August in just one day. At least 8 people died because of Debby.

The system moved slowly up the U.S., bringing tornadoes and flooding to Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, New York, New Hampshire and Vermont before moving into Canada.

Hurricane Beryl was the earliest Atlantic basin Category-5 hurricane on record. Beryl caused significant storm surge flooding across parts of Texas and Louisiana after making landfall near Matagorda, Texas, as a Category-1 storm. It rapidly intensified into a major hurricane, making landfall in Grenada and then Jamaica as a Category 4 storm. It struck the Yucatán Peninsula as a high-end Category 2 hurricane before weakening to a tropical storm. Once in the Gulf of Mexico, Beryl again became a hurricane before making landfall in Texas. The eye wall moved over the Houston metro area, causing extensive damage and leaving thousands without power for days.

By far, the most significant weather event that impacted the U.S. in 2024, was Hurricane Helene, which was the deadliest hurricane to hit the U.S. mainland since Katrina in 2005. Helene killed at least 230 people in seven states, including at least 103 in North Carolina. Hurricane Helene tore through Florida and Georgia and brought severe flooding and destruction to North Carolina and in eastern Tennessee.

Helene made landfall as a Category-4 storm on Florida’s Gulf Coast on September 26. Helene was the first-ever Category 4 hurricane to make landfall in Apalachee Bay, obliterating coastal towns in Dixie and Taylor Counties with 15 feet or more of storm surge and winds likely exceeding 120 mph. Helene draped a tidal wave of sand across many parts of western central Florida causing billions in damage before it moved up the southeastern United States which caused catastrophic flooding across the southern Appalachians.

Helene dropped as much as 30 inches of rain on some parts of western North Carolina. There was severe flooding throughout the region with extensive damage in Asheville and many smaller communities in North Carolina and Tennessee.

Heavy rainfall from Helene and another complex weather system that preceded Helene toppled river flood records in the southern Appalachians, resulting in catastrophic, multi-billion-dollar impacts in late September. In parts of western North Carolina, rivers crested above record levels that had stood since the "Great Flood" of July 1916. The French Broad River in Asheville, surpassed its now former 1916 record (23.1 feet) by more than a foot.

Hurricane Helene marked the first time ever that NOAA’s National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecasted a system to become a major hurricane before it became a tropical depression or tropical storm. The National Weather Service forecasted potentially catastrophic rainfall totals and rain rates over western North Carolina more than 48 hours ahead of Helene’s impact.

The weather events of 2024 will undoubtedly be remembered for its volatility and devastation, as well as the atmospheric phenomena that drove it. But among the tragedy there were many silver linings of resiliency, survival and dogged determination as we enter into a new year of weather and all that it implies.