For release at Thursday, November 5, 2026 at 6:00 AM EST
1,768 weather warnings in October 2026, the most for October since 2018
The National Weather Service issued 1,768 warnings in October 2026, down 52.3% from 3,710 the month before and up 92.8% from October last year. Texas had the most, 295. Severe thunderstorm warnings were the most common (672). At the peak, on October 25, 10,091,319 people were under a warning at once. On the InstaMaps Warning Index, an average of 3.7 million Americans were under a National Weather Service warning at any moment in October (counted from October 21, when the count began).
1,768
warnings in October
-52.3%
vs last month (3,710)
+92.8%
vs October last year (917)
10.1M
most people under a warning at once
The InstaMaps Warning Index
3.7 million
Americans under a National Weather Service warning at any moment in October, on average, counted from October 21. It's the mean of our count of people under a warning, taken every 10 minutes. How it's worked out.
Records
Texas: 295 warnings, the most for October since 2023.
New Mexico: 272 warnings, the most for October in records back to 2008.
Arizona: 244 warnings, the most for October in records back to 2008.
Kansas: 118 warnings, the most for October since 2018.
Florida: 106 warnings, the most for October since 2024.
Oklahoma: 88 warnings, the most for October since 2021.
Iowa: 73 warnings, the most for October since 2018.
Colorado: 62 warnings, the most for October in records back to 2008.
Nebraska: 58 warnings, the most for October since 2023.
North Carolina: 58 warnings, the most for October since 2018.
California: 55 warnings, the most for October since 2022.
Georgia: 46 warnings, the most for October since 2021.
Alabama: 39 warnings, the most for October since 2021.
Utah: 38 warnings, the most for October since 2022.
Pennsylvania: 35 warnings, the most for October since 2024.
Missouri: 30 warnings, the most for October since 2024.
South Carolina: 30 warnings, the most for October since 2016.
Alaska: 26 warnings, the most for October in records back to 2008.
Nevada: 25 warnings, the most for October since 2015.
Wyoming: 23 warnings, the most for October since 2024.
Minnesota: 20 warnings, the most for October since 2024.
South Dakota: 16 warnings, the most for October since 2024.
Illinois: 14 warnings, the most for October since 2024.
Wisconsin: 12 warnings, the most for October since 2023.
Idaho: 8 warnings, the most for October since 2024.
Washington: 7 warnings, the most for October since 2024.
Hawaii: 6 warnings, the most for October since 2017.
A warning that covers two states counts in both; the national figure counts it once. Warning Index: the average number of people under a warning at any moment of the month. This table as a CSV.
Ready to run: your state's story
About 100 words with the credit inside. Run it as it is or edit it (CC BY 4.0). Pick a state:
Texas had 295 National Weather Service warnings in October 2026, down 13% from September and up 44% from October 2025, according to InstaMaps' monthly warnings report. That is the most for October since 2023. Severe thunderstorm warnings were the most common, with 138. At the peak, on October 23, 657,254 people in Texas were under a warning at once. On the InstaMaps Warning Index, the average number of people under a warning at any moment, Texas stood at 30,000. People under warnings were counted from October 21, when the count began. Every county, live: get-instamaps.com/data/warnings/texas
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Credit line
The National Weather Service issued 1,768 warnings in October 2026, according to a monthly report from InstaMaps, which tracks warnings and the people under them (get-instamaps.com/data/warnings/report/2026-10). On the InstaMaps Warning Index, an average of 3.7 million Americans were under a National Weather Service warning at any moment in October (counted from October 21, when the count began).
Free to quote and republish (CC BY 4.0). How it's counted: method.
A county, a city or a radius cut, or the people counts behind the peaks: ask.
People under a warning were counted from October 21, when the count began.
Get the numbers by email
The monthly report, the first Thursday of each month at 6 a.m. Eastern. And, when a big storm hits any state, a short note with the count. Nothing else, and one click stops it.