The United States has witnessed numerous destructive hurricanes throughout its history. Still, certain storms remain etched in the national memory for their intensity, the destruction they caused, and the lives they took. Although a variety of factors are considered when assessing the severity of these storms, such as wind speed, death toll, and property damage, the human death toll is the most rigorous and accurate indicator of a hurricane’s devastating impact. It is one of the immediate measures. In this light, we examine 13 of the most devastating hurricanes in U.S. history.
1. Galveston Hurricane (September 1900)
The Galveston Hurricane had wind speeds of 130 to 156 miles per hour, occurred without warning, and caused devastating loss of life and property. The disaster killed an estimated 8,000 people, a significant portion of the city’s population. The hurricane, which caused property damage totaling approximately $30 million, destroyed homes, businesses, roads, and nearly wiped Galveston off the map.
2. San Felipe-Okeechobee Hurricane (September 1928)
The Category 4 storm caused extensive damage in the Leeward Islands and Puerto Rico before approaching the United States with wind speeds of 130 to 156 miles per hour. Before its devastating encounter with Lake Okeechobee, it struck Palm Beach, Florida, causing devastating flooding that claimed at least 2,166 lives. The property damage, amounting to approximately $75 million, prompted calls for improved safety measures, including the construction of the Herbert Hoover Land Dam to prevent future disasters.
3. Hurricane Maria (September 2017)
The storm killed approximately 3,000 people and caused an estimated $90 billion in damage. Puerto Rico’s power grid completely collapsed, causing the longest power outage in U.S. history. This terrifying Category 4 storm passed through the Caribbean Sea in 2017. With wind speeds reaching 150 miles per hour, Maria first ravaged Dominica and then hit Puerto Rico, causing unprecedented devastation.
4. Hurricane Katrina (August 2005)
Hurricane Katrina, one of the deadliest storms in U.S. history, struck New Orleans and parts of the Gulf Coast, causing widespread destruction. The storm, a Category 4 storm with winds exceeding 157 mph, killed 1,207 people and caused approximately $75 billion in damage, highlighting serious disaster preparedness and response deficiencies.
5. Cheniere Caminada Hurricane (October 1893)
The Cheniere Caminada hurricane devastated the Louisiana coast, particularly impacting the Cheniere Caminada fishing community. With winds of 130 mph, the death toll exceeded 1,100 and damage amounted to $5 million, making it one of Louisiana’s deadliest natural disasters. After the storm, most residents moved without rebuilding their damaged homes. Those who remained faced further devastation from subsequent hurricanes in the 1890s, and the island eventually became uninhabited, a state it remains in today.
6. Sea Island Hurricane (August 1893)
Sea Island Hurricane, with winds reaching 190 mph, devastated the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina, killing approximately 1,000 people and causing $1 million in property damage. The severe economic fallout, particularly in Beaufort County, caused severe social and financial hardship. Because of the shallow pressure, this storm ranked as one of the most intense to hit the East Coast.
7. New England Hurricanes (September 1938)
The hurricane, also known as the “Long Island Express,” was a dangerous Category 3 storm that hit the northeastern United States. The hurricane claimed 600 lives and caused $308 million in damage. Its rapid forward speed and storm surge caused unprecedented damage, especially on Long Island, New York, and Connecticut.
8. Florida Keys Labor Day Hurricane (August 1935)
This storm was one of the most powerful U.S. hurricanes on record. This Category 5 storm hit the Florida Keys and tragically claimed the lives of hundreds of World War I veterans. The total energy and intensity of the storm was particularly devastating, with winds exceeding 157 miles per hour, killing 408 people and causing an estimated $6 million in property damage.
9. Hurricane Audrey (June 1957)
Audrey was a devastating Category 4 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico that hit the Texas-Louisiana border with ferocious winds of 130 to 156 miles per hour. It also broke the record for the highest wind speed in June, reaching 233 km/h (145 mph) at landfall. The hurricane caused a massive storm surge in southwestern Louisiana, killing 390 people and causing approximately $150 million in damage.
10. Atlantic Hurricane (September 1944)
The 1944 Atlantic Hurricane was a devastating Category 5 storm that affected the entire U.S. Atlantic coast and parts of Canada in September 1944, forming near the Windward Islands on September 9th. The hurricane has weakened to a Category 3 hurricane with speeds between 112 and 129. With winds of miles per hour, it traverses a long path along the east coast of the United States. The Atlantic hurricane caused her 390 deaths, including significant maritime losses, and approximately $100 million in damages.
11. Hurricane Camille (August 1969)
Hurricane Camille, a Category 5 hurricane, hit the Mississippi coast with wind speeds exceeding 157 miles per hour. Landslides and flash flooding in the Appalachian Mountains have killed more than 100 people in Virginia. The storm killed 256 people, mainly due to heavy rainfall and flash flooding as it moved inland. It caused an estimated $1.4 billion in property damage and ranked as one of the most powerful storms of the 20th century.
12. Hurricane Sandy (October 2012)
The Category 2 hurricane, also known as “Superstorm Sandy,” spread 900 miles wide and affected 24 U.S. states, causing devastating damage in New Jersey and New York. The storm surge claimed 233 lives and caused around $50 billion in damage, primarily flooding roads and the subway system. caused a large-scale power outage. The disaster revealed how vulnerable the United States is to severe weather and raised alarm about the effects of climate change. Since then, affected regions have been working on better emergency plans.
13. Hurricane Ian (September 2022)
One of the most destructive storms in recent memory, Hurricane Ian had winds reaching 160 miles per hour in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico and quickly intensified to Category 5 before making landfall. It hit Florida and the Carolinas as a Category 4 storm with wind speeds of 130 to 156 mph. Ian claimed the lives of 150 people and caused an unprecedented $112 billion in damage, making it the costliest hurricane in Florida.