The Most Devastating Hurricanes to Ever Hit the U.S.

When September rolls around, the hurricanes start showing up. And while few hurricanes leave the land or people unscathed, there are several hurricanes that have done so much damage in the past that we’re likely to never forget them.

Year: 1900

Death Toll: 6,000–12,000 

Financial Impact: Estimated $30 million at the time (~$700 million adjusted for inflation) 

At the time, 38,000 people lived in Galveston, Texas. By the end of this Category 4 hurricane with 145 mph winds, 10,000 of them had lost their homes in the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history.  

Year: 2017

Death Toll: 2,982

Financial Impact: Estimated $91.6 billion 

This one’s recent enough to remember: The Category 4 hurricane hit Puerto Rico, causing widespread infrastructure damage, and power outages that lasted for months.

Year: 1928

Death Toll: 2,500–3,000

Financial Impact: Estimated $100 million at the time (~$1.47 billion adjusted for inflation)

This Category 4 hurricane made landfall in Palm Beach, Florida, but the worst damage was at Lake Okeechobee, where winds of 162 mph caused storm surges up to 9 feet.

Year: 2005

Death Toll: 1,833

Financial Impact: Estimated $161 billion

Here’s another hurricane we’re not likely to forget any time soon. The city of New Orleans was ill-prepared for 157+ mph winds, and the levees failed, which caused widespread flooding. On top of that, the hurricane caused 33 tornadoes.

Year: 1938

Death Toll: 682

Financial Impact: Estimated $306 million at the time (~$4.7 billion adjusted for inflation)

Called the "Long Island Express," this hurricane wreaked havoc all along the New England coast, from New York to Connecticut to Rhode Island. It started as a Category 5 hurricane when it formed near the coast of Africa, but was downgraded to a Category 3 when it made landfall.

Year: 1957

Death Toll: 416 

Financial Impact: $150 million (1957 dollars), equivalent to ~$1.5 billion today

With winds reaching 156 mph, this hurricane caused storm surges of 8 to 12 feet in Louisiana. It continued its rampage all the way to the Great Lakes region.

Year: 1969

Death Toll: 259

Financial Impact: $1.4 billion (1969 dollars), equivalent to ~$10 billion today.

With winds reaching 175 mph, this Category 5 hurricane devastated parts of Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Virginia. It was the second-most intense hurricane in U.S. history, with barometric pressure reaching almost 27 inches.

Year: 2012

Death Toll: 233

Financial Impact: Estimated $65 billion 

Sandy was born in the Caribbean and made landfall near Atlantic City, New Jersey, with winds up to 110 mph. It caused damage in 24 states. New York City was flooded and suffered power outages.

Year: 2008

Death Toll: 195

Financial Impact: ~$38 billion

This Category 4 storm caused significant damage to infrastructure and agriculture in Cuba, Texas, and across the Gulf Coast, as well as extensive power outages. Seventy-four of the 195 deaths were in Haiti, which was still reeling from three previous storms that had hit that year.

Year: 2017

Death Toll: ~134

Financial Impact: $77.2 billion

At the time, Hurricane Irma was the most powerful hurricane in history in the open Atlantic. People dubbed it “Irmageddon” because it caused so much widespread destruction in the Caribbean and Florida.

Year: 2017

Death Toll: 107

Financial Impact: Estimated $125 billion

This Category 4 hurricane flooded Houston and surrounding areas, some of which received more than 60 inches of rain. It ties with Hurricane Katrina as the costliest hurricane in U.S. history.

Year: 1954

Death Toll: 95 (in the U.S.)

Financial Impact: $382 million (1954 dollars), equivalent to ~$3.8 billion today

This Category 4 storm killed at least 469 people in Haiti before landing between North and South Carolina. It also destroyed a significant amount of Haiti’s coffee and cacao crops.

Year: 1992

Death Toll: ~65

Financial Impact: $27.3 billion (1992 dollars), equivalent to ~$55 billion today.

This Category 5 hurricane hit the Bahamas, Florida, and Louisiana, and remains the most destructive hurricane to hit Florida. It is one of few hurricanes to hit land as a Category 5 hurricane.

Year: 2018

Death Toll: 59

Financial Impact: ~$25 billion

Hurricane Michael hit the Florida Panhandle as a Category 5, making it one of the strongest hurricanes to make landfall in the U.S. It was an expensive hurricane, causing extensive damage to Tyndall Air Force Base, as well as U.S. fighter jets, which cost $6 billion to replace.

Year: 2018

Death Toll: 53

Financial Impact: ~$24 billion

This hurricane may have been slow-moving when it first came out of the Cape Verde islands, but by the time it reached the Carolinas, it was raging. It caused significant flooding across the Carolinas, and it also generated tornadoes that caused their own damage.

These hurricanes have left deep impacts on the U.S., both in terms of lives lost and economic devastation, highlighting the powerful and destructive force of nature. 

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