The 10 States With the Worst Weather in America, Ranked

Sometimes, the weather can seem, well, unrelenting: rainy days that never end, storms that take a violent turn, or snow that keeps you trapped inside (crossing your fingers that the power stays on). The U.S. has already experienced several severe weather events in 2026: winter blizzards, spring flooding, and summer hurricanes, and we still have three full months left in the year.

While we've all likely felt the impact of severe weather at some point, some states face greater risk due to their geography. The Farmers' Almanac calculated the number of disasters and the dollar amounts spent on recovery across the nation over the past couple of decades, and a handful of states have been hit by more hurricanes, tornadoes, and hailstorms than others.

So, which states have the worst weather in America?

DATA ON DEVASTATION

To find out, the Farmers' Almanac considered five factors: tornado frequency, billion-dollar weather and climate disasters, cyclone and hurricane landfalls, severe thunderstorm and hail incidents, and temperature extremes.

Using data from NOAA, the National Weather Service, and the National Hurricane Center, they found that certain states, scattered across the map, experience more turbulent weather than the rest of the country. For residents of these places, devastation, community rebuilding, and nature’s sheer unpredictability are unfortunately a reality. 

THE UNITED STATES OF SEVERE WEATHER

It’s said everything is bigger in Texas, and that's certainly true of the weather. At the top of the list, the Lone Star State endures tornadoes, droughts, hurricanes, hail, and flooding from severe storms.

Every year, Texas sees an average of 155 tornadoes. Since 1980, 126 severe storms (including hurricanes) have battered the region. While blizzards are uncommon, the state has endured 190 billion-dollar "climate disasters" in the past 45 years.

Florida comes in second, with the most hurricane landfalls of any state, according to the Farmers' Almanac. Since 1850, 120 hurricanes have hit Florida, leaving miles upon miles of devastation. Over the last 40 years, 80 natural disasters have cost the state more than a billion dollars each. Its position between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico puts Florida in the path of some of the most powerful (and costly) storms in American history.

Louisiana ranks third. The Bayou State has experienced more floods than any other state and has been ravaged by historic hurricanes like Katrina and Ida. Hurricane Katrina alone cost Louisiana hundreds of billions of dollars and claimed 1,833 lives. The state's low elevation and proximity to the Gulf of Mexico make it especially exposed to severe weather.

Other states that made the list include Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Missouri, Georgia, Illinois, and North Carolina, all of which have consistently experienced some of the worst weather patterns in U.S. history.

However, just because states in the Pacific Northwest and the West aren't named among those with the worst weather doesn't mean they're safe. The Farmers' Almanac notes that these regions experience natural disasters like wildfires and blizzards.

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