America's 10 Most Expensive Tornadoes, Ranked

These rankings come from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Storm Prediction Center, and every figure is adjusted for inflation to 2023 dollars. The list covers the modern record, from 1950 forward, since that's when reliable damage records begin. We'll come back to what happened before that at the end.

Here are the 10 most expensive tornadoes in American history, counting down from 10. If you're thinking about moving to one of these cities, you may want to prepare yourself financially for the possibility of tornadoes or think again. 

10. Xenia, Ohio

Our 10th most expensive tornado hit Xenia, Ohio on April 3, 1974, as part of what became known as the Super Outbreak. At the time, the damage was recorded at $250 million. Adjusted into today's dollars, that comes out to just under $1.59 billion.

That gap between the two numbers comes up again and again on this list. A tornado from the 1960s or 1970s looks cheap on paper until you translate it forward.

9. Hackleburg, Alabama

Hackleburg, Alabama was struck on April 27, 2011, causing $1.29 billion in damage at the time. Adjusted forward, that's about $1.75 billion. Hold on to that date, April 27, 2011, because it comes up again before this list is over.

8. Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville, Tennessee was hit on March 3, 2020, with damage recorded at $1.504 billion. In today's dollars, that's about $1.78 billion.

It struck in the middle of the night, which is part of why urban tornadoes are so costly: dense housing, dense commercial property, and very little warning time for people who are asleep.

7. Moore and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

On May 3, 1999, a tornado tore through Moore and Oklahoma City and caused $1 billion in damage. Adjusted into today's dollars, that's roughly $1.84 billion.

This was the first tornado in American history to cause a billion dollars in damage as it happened, not after adjustment, and it was measured with some of the highest wind speeds ever recorded on Earth.

6. North Dallas, Texas

North Dallas was hit on October 20, 2019, with $1.55 billion in damage. Adjusted, that's about $1.84 billion, just barely ahead of the 1999 Oklahoma tornado.

It's a useful reminder that October is not off season. This one arrived months after most people stop thinking about tornado risk for the year.

5. Lubbock, Texas

Lubbock, Texas was struck on May 11, 1970, and the damage at the time was recorded at $250 million. Adjusted into today's dollars, that becomes nearly $2 billion.

The Lubbock tornado is also the reason we can rate tornadoes at all. The damage patterns there were studied by the scientist who went on to create the original tornado intensity scale.

4. Topeka, Kansas

Topeka, Kansas was hit on June 8, 1966. Recorded damage at the time was $250 million. Adjusted forward, that's more than $2.36 billion, the single biggest jump on this entire list.

Sixty years of inflation turns a quarter of a billion dollars into well over two billion, which is exactly why comparing raw damage figures across decades tells you almost nothing useful.

3. Moore, Oklahoma

On May 20, 2013, Moore was hit again, this time with $2 billion in damage. Adjusted into today's dollars, that's about $2.62 billion.

This is the same community from number seven on this list, hit 14 years later, giving Moore two separate entries in the national top 10 within a generation.

2. Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Tuscaloosa, Alabama was struck on April 27, 2011, the same date as Hackleburg at number nine. Damage came to $2.45 billion at the time. Adjusted forward, that's $3.33 billion.

A single day in April 2011 produced two of the 10 most expensive tornadoes in the modern record. That day was part of a massive outbreak that tore across the South.

1. Joplin, Missouri

Joplin, Missouri was hit on May 22, 2011, and it remains the most expensive tornado in the modern American record. Damage was recorded at $2.8 billion. Adjusted into today's dollars, that comes to $3.79 billion.

Thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed outright, and more than 150 people were killed. It's the deadliest single American tornado since modern record keeping began.

Why 2011 was so costly

Three of the 10 most expensive tornadoes in the modern record happened in 2011: Joplin at number one, Tuscaloosa at number two, and Hackleburg at number nine. Two of those three landed on the exact same day.

2011 brought an extraordinary number of violent tornadoes into populated areas, and the cost reflects where they hit as much as how strong they were.

What came before 1950

Everything above starts in 1950, because that's when reliable damage records begin. Researchers at the National Severe Storms Laboratory have gone back further, though.

When they adjust older tornadoes for both inflation and the growth in national wealth, the 1896 tornado that hit St. Louis and East St. Louis comes out ahead of Joplin. Their conservative estimate is around $2.2 billion, and their more realistic figure is closer to $2.9 billion. So depending on how far back you're willing to look, Joplin may not actually be number one at all.

What this means for you

The reason these numbers keep climbing isn't that tornadoes are getting stronger. It's that there's far more property standing in the path of them than there used to be.

That makes two things worth doing:

• Confirm your homeowners policy actually covers full replacement cost rather than market value.
• Photograph or video your belongings before you ever need to file a claim.

Neither of those takes long, and after a storm like any of these 10, they're the difference between rebuilding and starting over with nothing.

Bottom line

The costliest tornadoes on record cluster in a handful of catastrophic years and a few unlucky towns, but the pattern driving the rising price tags is simple: more homes and businesses now sit in the path of severe weather than in past decades.

Whether or not you live in a high-risk area, confirming your coverage and documenting what you own are two of the most useful, low-effort steps you can take before the next major storm season arrives. It is also worth taking a broader look and checking up on your financial fitness so a single storm cannot undo years of saving. 

Editor's Note: Portions of this story were drafted with assistance from generative AI tools. All final creative decisions, edits, and fact checking were done by human writers and editors.

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