Not just hurricanes: Tropical storms in history that packed a punch with historic, deadly flooding

Sat, 27 Jun 2026 10:00:52 -0400

The first storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, Tropical Storm Arthur, recently impacted portions of the Southeast with heavy downpours and gusty winds throughout last week.

Areas such as Plaucheville, Louisiana, recorded almost two feet of rain in just a couple of days, leading to widespread flash flooding across the region.

While not every storm is as impactful as a major hurricane when it makes landfall, tropical storms can still bring plenty of rain in a short amount of time. This can lead to flash flooding and cause river levels to rise to new record heights.

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Here is a look back on some of the tropical storms that caused the worst flooding.

Tropical Storm Alberto — 1994

Tropical Storm Alberto was a July tropical storm during the 1994 hurricane season that brought flooding to portions of Alabama, Georgia and the Florida panhandle.

Alberto produced a maximum rainfall total of 27.85 inches in Americus, Georgia, while surrounding regions in southwest Georgia, southeast Alabama and the Florida panhandle received well over 10 inches of rain.

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The storm caused rivers to rapidly rise, especially around Macon, Georgia, leaving communities inundated for days.

In total, Alberto is estimated to have left behind $1.3 billion in damage and caused 32 deaths from the flooding.

Tropical Storm Allison — 2001

Tropical Storm Allison was the first named storm of the 2001 hurricane season, and brought heavy rains to Texas and Louisiana as it slowly moved over the Southeast for almost an entire week.

Rainfall totals peaked at 40.68 inches just outside of Houston, with many areas around the city receiving similar totals.

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The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) estimated the damage in Houston alone was $5 billion from the flooding.

Louisiana had areas reach over two feet of rain, other states in the Southeast recorded rainfall totals up to a foot.

Overall, Allison left $9 billion in damage and 50 deaths in its wake due to the extensive flooding.

Tropical Storm Lee — 2011

Tropical Storm Lee and its remnant moisture brought heavy rainfall and flooding to portions of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and the Mid-Atlantic during the 2011 hurricane season.

Rainfall totals peaked at 20.96 inches in Colonial Beach, Virginia, and 15.48 inches in Holden, Louisiana, with other areas across the region seeing over a foot of rain.

In particular, the Susquehanna River experienced record-setting flooding across portions of Pennsylvania and Upstate New York, leading to the evacuation of about 100,000 people, including the governor’s mansion.

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In total, Lee caused 15 deaths and more than $1 billion in damage.

Tropical Storm Debby — 2012

Tropical Storm Debby was an early season storm that slowly crossed the Florida peninsula during the 2012 hurricane season.

Debby produced maximum rainfall totals of 28.78 inches in Curtis Mill, Florida, with other areas across northern Florida and the Big Bend region seeing rainfall totals of over a foot in just two days.

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The high rainfall totals led to the Sopchoppy River cresting to a record height of 36.8 feet in Wakulla county.

Overall, Debby caused $250 million in damage from flooding across the Sunshine State, and eight deaths.

Tropical Storm Imelda — 2019

Tropical Storm Imelda was a short-lived tropical storm during the 2019 hurricane season that brought record rainfall to portions of southeastern Texas.

Similar to Tropical Storm Allison, Imelda was a very slow-moving storm with peak rainfall totals of 44.29 inches just outside Fannett, Texas, of which 31 inches fell in just 12 hours.

Many of the surrounding areas got over two feet of rain in just a few days, leaving neighborhoods flooded in its wake. Overall, Imelda caused $5 billion in damage and led to five deaths.

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Despite all these storms only peaking and making landfall as tropical storms, they still caused considerable damage to the communities they impacted across the eastern U.S., similar to Arthur.

No matter the category of a storm, it can still bring life-threatening impacts to communities from heavy rainfall.

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