World > Disasters > Major Storms

U.S. Hurricanes

(U.S. deaths only, except where noted. Damages are actual cost in U.S. dollars, followed in parentheses by dollar figures adjusted to the year 2000.)


1776
Sept. 2–9, N.C. to Nova Scotia: called the “Hurricane of Independence,” it is believed that 4,170 in the U.S. and Canada died in the storm.
1856
Aug. 11, Last Island, La.: 400 died.
1893
Aug. 28, Savannah, Ga., Charleston, S.C., Sea Islands, S.C.: at least 1,000 died.
1900
Sept. 8, Galveston, Tex.: an estimated 6,000–8,000 died in hurricane and tidal surge. The “Galveston Hurricane” is considered the deadliest in U.S. history.
1909
Sept. 10–21, La. and Miss.: 350 deaths.
1915
Aug. 5–23, Galveston, Tex., and New Orleans, La.: 275 killed.
1919
Sept. 2–15, Fla. Keys, La., and southern Tex.: more than 600 killed, mostly lost on ships at sea.
1926
Sept. 11–22, southeast Fla. and Ala.: 243 deaths.
1928
Sept. 6–20, Lake Okeechobee, southeast Fla.: 1,836 deaths. Second-deadliest U.S. hurricane on record.
1935
Aug. 29–Sept. 10, Fla. Keys: “Labor Day Hurricane”; 408 deaths.
1938
Sept. 10–22, Long Island, N.Y., and southern New England: “New England Hurricane”; 600 deaths.
1944
Sept. 9–16, N.C. to New England: 390 deaths, 344 of which were at sea.
1947
Sept. 4–21, southeast Fla., La., Miss., Ala.: 51 killed.
1954
Aug. 25–31, N.C. to New England: “Carol” killed 60 in Long Island–New England area.
Oct. 5–18, S.C. to N.Y.: “Hazel” killed 95 in U.S.; about 400–1,000 in Haiti; 78 in Canada.
1955
Aug. 7–21, N.C. to New England: “Diane” took 184 lives and cost $8.3 million ($5.5 billion).
1957
June 25–28, southwest La. and northern Tex.: “Audrey” wiped out Cameron, La., causing 390 deaths.
1960
Aug. 29–Sept. 13, Fla. to New England: “Donna” killed 50 in the U.S.; 115 deaths in Antilles.
1961
Sept. 3–15, Tex. coast: “Carla” devastated Tex. gulf cities, taking 46 lives.
1965
Aug. 27–Sept. 12, southern Fla. and La.: “Betsy” killed 75 and cost more than $1.4 ($8.5) billion.
1969
Aug. 14–22, Miss., La., Ala., Va., and W. Va.: 256 killed as a result of “Camille.” Damages estimated at $1.4 ($6.9) billion.
1972
June 14–23, northwest Fla. to N.Y.: “Agnes” caused widespread flash floods killing 117 (50 in Pa). Damages estimated at over $2.1 ($8.6) billion. Still the worst natural disaster ever in Pa.
1979
Aug. 25–Sept. 7, Caribbean to New England: “David” caused five U.S. deaths; 1,200 in the Dominican Republic.
Aug. 29–Sept. 15, Ala. and Miss.: “Frederic” devastated Mobile, Ala., and caused $2.3 ($4.9) billion in damage overall.
1980
Aug. 3–10, Caribbean to Tex. Gulf: “Allen” killed 28 in U.S.; over 200 in Caribbean.
1983
Aug. 15–21, Galveston and Houston, Tex.: “Alicia” caused 21 deaths and $2 ($3.4) billion in damages.
1985
Oct. 6–Nov. 1, La. southeast U.S.: “Juan,” a Category 1 hurricane, caused severe flooding and $1.5 ($2.4) billion in damages; 63 people died.
1989
Sept. 10–22, Caribbean Sea, S.C., and N.C.: “Hugo” claimed 86 lives (57 U.S. mainland) and damages estimated over $7 ($9.7) billion.
1991
Oct. 30–Nov. 1, Eastern Atlantic seaboard: an unnamed hurricane labeled the “perfect storm” caused extensive erosion and flooding along the Atlantic seaboard and created 39-foot waves.
1992
Aug. 22–26, Bahamas, southern Fla., and La.: Hurricane “Andrew” left 26 dead and more than 100,000 homes destroyed or damaged. Total U.S. damages estimated at $26.5 ($34.9) billion.
1994
Nov. 8–21, Caribbean and southern Fla.: “Gordon” led to an estimated 1,122 deaths in Haiti. Eight died in Fla.
1995
Nov. 29, Fla. Panhandle and Ala.: storm surge during “Opal” caused extensive damage to coastal areas; nine U.S. deaths and damages of $3 ($3.5) billion.
1996
Sept. 5, N.C. and Va.: “Fran” took 37 lives and caused more than $3.2 ($3.6) billion in damage.
1999
Sept. 14–18, Bahamas to New England: “Floyd” and associated flooding caused at least 57 deaths. Damage estimated at $4.5 ($4.6) billion.
2001
June 8–15, Gulf Coast to southern New England: tropical storm “Allison” caused severe flooding, damage estimated at $5 billion (actual cost); 41 deaths.
2003
Sept. 18, N.C. and Va.: “Isabel” took 50 lives and caused more than $3.7 billion in damage.
2004
Aug. 13–Sept. 26, Fla., Ala., and southern U.S.: Four major hurricanes hit Fla. in 6 weeks. “Charley,” on Aug. 13, a Category 4 hurricane, killed 34; “Frances,” on Sept. 5, killed 48. “Ivan” swept from Grenada to Ala. and Fla. on Sept. 16, killing 57 in the U.S. and 66 in the Caribbean. “Jeanne,” on Sept. 26, flooded Fla. again, killing 28. Total U.S. damages from the 4 hurricanes estimated to exceed $35 billion.
2005
Aug. 25–Aug. 30, Fla., Miss., and La.: “Katrina” hit southern Fla. on Aug. 25th and on Aug. 29th slammed the Gulf Coast with 127 mph winds and major storm surges, destroying hundreds of homes and businesses and causing massive flooding in Miss., Ala., and New Orleans where the levees failed. The death toll was c. 1,800, with 1,464 of those in La. “Katrina” was among the most devastating of U.S. hurricanes with damages estimated at $100 billion.
Sept. 18–Sept. 30, Tex. and La.: “Rita,” the 2nd Category 5 in the season, made landfall Sept. 24th on the Texas/Louisiana border as a Category 3 storm, with 15-ft storm surges caused estimated damages of $8 billion. A massive evacuation of the coastal area kept the death toll to 119 storm-related deaths.
Oct. 18–Oct. 24, Caribbean, Mexico, and Fla.: “Wilma” moved through Haiti, killing 11, Jamaica, and on to Mexico where she battered The Yucatan peninsula for more than 24 hours before moving on to Cuba and southern Fla. causing extensive damage; left more than 6 million without power and killed 35 with estimated costs over $10 billion.
Dec. 30–Jan. 7, 2006, U.S.: “Zeta,” the last hurricane of the most active season in 154 years.
2006
Aug. 25–Sept. 3, U.S.: “Ernesto” hit Florida on Aug. 30th and on Aug. 31st struck North Carolina with 70 mph winds and major storm surges.
2008
Sept. 1–2, Gulf Coast.: “Gustav,” a Category 2 hurricane, hit the Gulf Coast on Sept. 1 with 110 mph winds, killing at least 26 people in three states and leaving more than one million homes without power before moving into central Louisiana as a tropical depression.
Sept. 13–14, southern U.S.: "Ike," hit Texas and caused at least 30 deaths, thousands more evacuated their homes, and millions lost power in Houston alone. Ike hit the island city of Galveston Bay the hardest, knocking out water, power, and sewer lines. Despite requests to evacuate, at least 15,000 people remained in Galveston amid worsening sanitary conditions.
Sept. 14–16, midwestern U.S.: As Ike traveled inland, the storm weakened to a tropical depression, but torrential rain caused severe flooding and power outages in parts of Louisiana, Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois. At least 17 people died and more than two million homes and businesses lost power.
2011
Aug. 27–29, East Coast.: “Irene,” began as a Category 3 hurricane and was downgraded to a Category 1 before hitting the Outer Banks of North Carolina on Aug. 27. Irene passed through Virginia, New Jersey, and New York City before transitioning into an extratropical cyclone in Vermont and New Hampshire. Irene caused at least 56 deaths and an estimated %15.6 billion in damages, making it the sixth costliest hurricane in the United States.

See also Hurricane Katrina


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