1. Hurricane Andrew: 65 deaths
Image Source: Bob Vila
This hurricane devastated the Gulf Coast and South Florida in 1992. Tropical storm Andrew began to form in the eastern Atlantic on August 16, and it spent the next week drifting west without showing any observable indications of intensification. Just before landfall in the Bahamas on August 23, the storm quickly became a Category 5 hurricane. The damage created reached $26.5 billion, with 63,000 homes destroyed, 124,000 homes damaged, and 65 deaths.
2. Hurricane Katrina: 1,577 deaths
Image Source: Business Insider
Hurricane Katrina was a devastating storm that plowed into the Gulf Coast in 2005 and destroyed everything in its path. Katrina is the most expensive natural disaster and the third deadliest storm to ever strike the United States. On August 23, this storm formed over the Bahamas, and the following day, it rapidly strengthened into Tropical Storm Katrina. It resulted in $108 billion in damages, 1,577 deaths (200 caused by Mississippi floods), and 6,000 people injured.
3. Hurricane Sandy: 285 deaths
Image Source: Bob Vila
When Hurricane Sandy hit Cuba in October 2012, it was a Category 2 storm. The storm turned into a Category 3 hurricane when it reached its peak power, significantly damaging 24 US states and a few other countries. The projected cost of the damage was $71 billion, ranking it as the second-most expensive hurricane in American history. Moreover, 285 people were killed by the hurricane in eight different countries.
4. Hurricane Audrey: 416 deaths
Image Source: Huston Chronicle
Hurricane Audrey was regarded as the deadliest storm of the 1950s and the deadliest storm of the 1957 hurricane season. The Category 3 storm caused major destruction on Louisiana's southwest shore. The storm's top speed was 125 miles per hour. Most of the storm's destruction was centered close to the Texas-Louisiana line. The death toll reached 416 by the end of the storm.
5. The Atlantic-Gulf Hurricane: 900 deaths
Image Source: Earth.com
The Atlantic Gulf hurricane, sometimes called the 1919 Florida Keys Hurricane, was a Category 3 storm that wreaked havoc on the Gulf of Mexico in September 1919. The storm was enormous and moved slowly. In experts' opinion, these two elements contributed to the scope of the storm's damage. The Florida Keys Hurricane is thought to have killed up to 900 people, and most of those who perished (up to 500 individuals) were on ten ships that the hurricane sank at sea.
6. The Cheniere Caminada Hurricane: 1,400 deaths
Image Source: NOAA
The Cheniere Caminada hurricane struck in October 1893 before scientists had begun giving tropical storms official names. The Great October Storm is another name for this calamity. Cheniera Camanida, a fishing town in Louisiana, about 100 miles away from New Orleans, was the primary location impacted by this hurricane. The deadliest hurricane to hit Louisiana took the lives of 1400 people.
7. Sea Island Hurricane: 2,000 deaths
Image Source: Explore Beaufort SC
When it came ashore close to Savannah, Georgia, the Sea Islands hurricane was a Category 3 storm, and according to some estimations, it may have turned into a Category 4 or 5 before it blew over. It tore Georgia and South Carolina's coasts apart, but the Sea Islands were the most severely impacted. It is impossible to determine how many people were killed by this hurricane, however, according to some reports, the number was between 1000 and 2000.
8. Hurricane Maria: 2,975 deaths
Image Source: Bob Vila
On September 20, 2017, Hurricane Maria, a Category 5 storm, hit Puerto Rico. The Caribbean islands that are a part of the unorganized territory of the United States have never seen a worse natural calamity. The hurricane devastated Puerto Rico, Dominica, and the Dominican Republic substantially. Puerto Rico, where more than 2900 deaths were reported, was the most severely affected of all these.
9. Hurricane Ian: 104 deaths
Image Source: Reddit
On September 28, 2022, a Category 4 storm with sustained winds of 150 mph made landfall in Florida, which resulted in almost 100 fatalities in Florida and four in North Carolina. Bridges and trees also collapsed, and homes flooded as their roofs fell in. Ian will rank as one of the most expensive hurricanes in American history due to the estimated $75 billion in losses in Florida and the Carolinas. Even after the hurricane, cleanup is still ongoing.
10. Hurricane Harvey: 89 deaths
Image Source: NOAA
Harvey, a Category 4 hurricane, dumped 27 quadrillion gallons of rain over the course of six days, flooding Texas and Louisiana. It was second only to Katrina in terms of costliest cyclones, producing $148 billion in damage. Over 30,000 people were forced to flee Houston because of the extreme flooding, which claimed at least 89 lives.
11. Hurricane Camille: 256 deaths
Image Source: Bob Vila
The Labor Day Hurricane in 1935, Hurricane Andrew in 1992, and Hurricane Michael in 2018 are the other three Category 5 hurricanes that have hit the United States. Camille is one of them. Because measuring equipment was destroyed when the hurricane made landfall, the maximum sustained winds are unknown, but it is known to be the second-most intense hurricane to ever make landfall in the United States. A total of 256 people died due to flooding, winds, and precipitation.
12. Labor Day Hurricane: 408 deaths
Image Source: Florida Keys Vacation
The Labor Day storm of 1935 was the most powerful storm ever to strike the United States. Most of the 408 people who perished in the Florida Keys during a Category 5 storm were World War I veterans building roads as part of a federal recovery effort. The severe storm caused a train that was sent to evacuate them to derail.
13. The Last Islands Hurricane: 300+ deaths
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The large-scale storm known as The Last Island Hurricane struck the Gulf Coast in 1856. Before making landfall at New Iberia in the United States, the hurricane crossed through Isle Dernière, Louisiana. From there, it destroyed houses, shops, and even a hotel that was completely full of tourists. The total death toll was impossible to determine, but it was estimated that over 300 people lost their lives during the storm.
14. The Georgia/South Carolina Hurricane: 700+ deaths
Image Source: CBS News
On August 27, 1881, a powerful hurricane called the Georgia/South Carolina Hurricane landed around Tybee Island. The Georgia/South Carolina Hurricane is the sixth worst storm in American history, despite the fact that it was only a relatively small Category 2 storm. There were over 700 estimated casualties.
15. Hurricane Long Island Express: 256 deaths
Image Source: NOAA
The 1938 storm, also known as "Long Island Express," was a Category 5 hurricane landfall in Puerto Rico before veering north, hitting Long Island, New York, and Connecticut as a Category 3 hurricane. The New England storm caused more than 256 deaths by the time it left the states.
16. Hurricane Dorian: 74 deaths
Image Source: Scientific American
On August 24, 2019, Hurricane Dorian began to form in the Atlantic Ocean. Many places, including the Bahamas, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Eastern Canada, were completely destroyed by the Category 5 hurricane. 74 people have officially died as a result of Dorian in the Bahamas, and it is estimated that $3.4 billion in damages have been caused there alone.
17. Hurricane Hugo: 86 deaths
Image Source: Live Healthy
In the United States, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico coast frequently take the brunt of hurricane activity, although the East Coast also experiences its fair share of storm-related damage. Take the Hugo hurricane, for example. When it hit the Carolinas in September 1989, it was one of the worst storms to batter the region in decades, with at least 86 fatalities and losses totaling more than $10 billion.
18. Hurricane Ivan: 124 deaths
Image Source: NBC News
On September 16, 2004, Hurricane Ivan made landfall in Gulf Shores, Alabama, as a Category 3 storm, but it still ranks among the most devastating storms in the nation. The hurricane created more than 50 feet high waves and wreaked havoc on the shores of Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle. Ivan was ultimately accountable for the deaths of 67 people in the Cayman Islands, Grenada, Jamaica, and Dominican Republic and 57 fatalities in the United States. Estimates of the damage exceeded $27 billion.
19. Hurricane Gilbert: 318 deaths
Image Source: Global Voices
Gilbert, which impacted Texas and other US zones, was one of the biggest hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic basin, with a circumference of 500 nautical miles. 318 people died due to the storm, including 200 killed by flooding in Mexico and 28 when a Cuban freight ship collided with a shrimp boat. The total cost of Gilbert-related damage was almost $5.5 billion.
20. Hurricane Floyd: 57 deaths
Image Source: Jay Barnes on Hurricanes
Because of the rain it produced, Hurricane Floyd was a catastrophic hurricane. As the Category 2 storm moved up the East Coast, extreme flooding was brought on, starting in North Carolina. Ultimately, Hurricane Floyd caused 57 deaths and over $6.5 billion in damages.
21. The Great Hurricane: 22,000 deaths
Image Source: Smithsonian Magazine
When the Great Hurricane of 1780, which killed around 22,000 people, hit the Americas, the United States as we know it was just a vision in George Washington's mind. Among the fatalities of the storm were British and American soldiers who had been fighting in warships dispersed throughout the area as part of the Revolutionary War.
22. Hurricane Ida: 91 deaths
Image Source: Reader's Digest
On August 29, 2021, just before noon, Hurricane Ida made landfall close to Port Fourchon in southeast Louisiana with winds of 150 mph. The Category 4 hurricane hit once more and moved inland almost two hours later. Ida triggered devastating flooding and tornado outbreaks, resulting in an estimated $75 billion in damage and 91 fatalities in nine states.
23. Hurricane Laura: 77 deaths
Image Source: Reader's Digest
The reality of coping with a hurricane amid a global pandemic hit those in Hurricane Laura's path when it plowed into Louisiana's southwest coast on August 27, 2020. The hurricane, which had winds of 150 mph when it hit near Cameron, Louisiana, was the fiercest storm to ever strike that region of the state (at least while records have been kept). Hurricane Laura caused at least $19 billion in damage overall and killed 77 people.
24. Hurricane Charley: 15 deaths
Image Source: Reader's Digest
In August 2004, a tropical depression that began as a wave formed to the southeast of Barbados. The storm intensified as it moved northwest, becoming a hurricane when it passed through Jamaica, then veering off course as it continued to go northeast. By the time it disappeared, hurricane Charley caused $15 billion in damage in the United States alone, 10 deaths in the United States, four in Cuba, and one in Jamaica.
25. The Freeport Hurricane: 40 deaths
Image Source: Reader's Digest
Initially a tropical storm, the Freeport Hurricane of 1932 was able to intensify quickly due to its relatively modest dimensions. On August 14, it became a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 150 mph by the time it made an impact between Galveston and Freeport, Texas. The area's tremendous loss of crops contributed significantly to the estimated $7.5 million in damage inflicted by the Freeport Hurricane. Moreover, 200 people were hurt, and 40 individuals died.
26. The Miami Hurricane: 372 deaths
Image Source: WikiMedia Commons
Ships contacted the U.S. Weather Bureau on September 11, 1926, informing them that a hurricane had been detected about 1,000 miles east of the Leeward Islands. Residents of Florida were advised in the first reports from the U.S. Weather Bureau that the storm would miss their state, and a hurricane warning wasn't issued until a little over 24 hours before the storm actually made landfall. The damage reached $105 million( or $90 billion in today's currency), along with 372 fatalities and 6,000 injuries.
27. Hurricane Allison: 41 deaths
Image Source: Business Insider
Despite not being a hurricane, Allison is the most expensive and deadly tropical storm in US history, with more than $5 billion in damage and 41 fatalities. The storm, which began over the Gulf of Mexico close to Texas and moved east, brought on floods like the one seen in Houston, Texas.
28. The Okeechobee Hurricane: 4,079 deaths
Image Source: Blackpast
Two years after the Miami hurricane devastated Florida, the state suffered another catastrophic blow on September 6, 1928, that left the southern region in ruins. The Okeechobee Hurricane was one of the deadliest and most damaging storms to ever strike the United States. The hurricane's death toll reached 4,079 fatalities: 1,200 in Guadeloupe, 312 in Puerto Rico, and 2,500 in the United States.
29. The Great Galveston Hurricane: 8,000 deaths
Image Source: WikiMedia Commons
The deadliest natural disaster to hit the United States was the "Great" Galveston Hurricane in 1900. On September 8, 1900, it hit land as a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 145 mph. About 20% of Galveston's population, or 8,000 people, perished in the disaster, along with 30,000 people injured and $21 million in damage, or $641 million in 2019 dollars.
30. Hurricane Mitch: 22,000+ deaths
Image Source: One Water
Although Hurricane Mitch may not have garnered as much media notice as earlier hurricanes in the United States, it still caused more deaths and destruction than some of history's most well-known disasters. Mitch is the second-deadliest hurricane on record and the worst to impact the Western Hemisphere in more than 200 years, with an estimated 22,000 fatalities (and thousands more missing). The storm inflicted more than $6 billion in damages.