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Subject: E12) What have been the deadliest hurricanes for the USA?
Contributed by Chris Landsea
| RANK | HURRICANE | YEAR | CAT | DEATHS | COMMENTS |
| 1 | TX (Galveston) | 1900 | 4 | 8000-12,000 |
| 2 | FL (SE/Lake Okeechobee) | 1928 | 4 | 2500-3000 | Same storm as #13 ADDENDUM |
| 3 | KATRINA (LA,MS,AL,FL,GA) | 2005 | 3 | 1500 | Deaths directly attributed |
| 4 | LA (Cheniere Caminanda) | 1893 | 4 | 1100-1400 | 2000 including offshore deaths
August |
| 5 | SC/GA (Sea Islands) | 1893 | 3 | 1000-2000 |
| 6 | GA/SC | 1881 | 2 | 700 |
| 7 | AUDREY (SW LA/N TX) | 1957 | 4 | >416 |
| 8 | FL (Keys) | 1935 | 5 | 408 |
| 9 | LA (Last Island) | 1856 | 4 | 400 | With offshore deaths total is ~600 |
| 10 | FL (Miami)/MS/AL/Pensacola | 1926 | 4 | 372 |
| 11 | LA (Grand Isle) | 1909 | 3 | 350 |
| 12 | FL (Keys)/S TX | 1919 | 4 | 287 | With offshore deaths total is ~600 |
| 13 | LA (New Orleans) | 1915 | 4 | 275 |
| 14 | TX (Galveston) | 1915 | 4 | 275 |
| 15 | New England | 1938 | 3 | 256 | With offshore deaths total is ~600 |
| 16 | CAMILLE (MS/SE LA/VA) | 1969 | 5 | 256 |
| 17 | DIANE (NE U.S.) | 1955 | 1 | 184 |
| 18 | GA, SC, NC | 1898 | 4 | 179 |
| 19 | TX | 1875 | 3 | 176 |
| 20 | SE FL | 1906 | 3 | 164 |
| 21 | TX (Indianola) | 1886 | 4 | 150 |
| 22 | MS/AL/Pensacola | 1906 | 2 | 134 |
| 23 | FL, GA, SC | 1896 | 3 | 130 |
| 24 | AGNES (FL/NE U.S.) | 1972 | 1 | ≤122 |
| 25 | HAZEL (SC/NC) | 1954 | 4 | 95 |
| 26 | BETSY (SE FL/SE LA) | 1965 | 3 | 75 |
| 27 | Northeast U.S. | 1944 | 3 | 64 | Total 390 with offshore deaths |
| 28 | CAROL (NE U.S.) | 1954 | 3 | 60 |
| 29 | FLOYD (Mid Atlantic & NE U.S.) | 1999 | 2 | 56 |
| 30 | NC | 1883 | 2 | 53 |
| 31 | SE FL/SE LA/MS | 1947 | 4 | 51 |
| | 32 | NC, SC | 1899 | 3 | ≥50 | Same storm as #2 in ADDENDUM |
| 32 | GA/SC/NC | 1940 | 2 | 50 |
| 32 | DONNA (FL/Eastern U.S.) | 1960 | 4 | 50 |
| 35 | LA | 1860 | 2 | ≥47 |
| 36 | NC, VA | 1879 | 3 | ≥46 | Could include offshore deaths |
| 37 | CARLA (N & Central TX) | 1961 | 4 | 46 |
| 38 | TX (Velasco) | 1909 | 3 | 41 |
| 39 | ALLISON (SE TX) | 2001 | TS | 41 |
| 40 | Mid-Atlantic | 1889 | unk | ≥40 | Could include offshore deaths
Storm remained offshore |
| 40 | TX (Freeport) | 1932 | 4 | 40 |
| 40 | S TX | 1933 | 3 | 40 |
| 43 | HILDA (LA) | 1964 | 3 | 38 |
| 44 | SW LA | 1918 | 3 | 34 |
| 45 | SW FL | 1910 | 3 | 30 |
| 46 | ALBERTO (NW FL, GA, AL) | 1994 | TS | 30 |
| 47 | SC, FL | 1893 | 3 | 28 | Mid-October |
| 48 | New England | 1878 | 2 | ≥27 |
| 48 | Texas | 1886 | 2 | ≥27 |
| 50 | FRAN (NC) | 1996 | 3 | 26 |
ADDENDUM
(Not Atlantic/Gulf Coast) |
| 2 | Puerto Rico | 1899 | 3 | 3369 | Same storm as #32 |
| 5 | P.R. USVI | 1867 | 3 | ≤811 | Could include offshore deaths |
| 5 | Puerto Rico | 1852 | 1 | ≤800 | Total possibly from 2 storms |
| 13 | Puerto Rico (San Felipe) | 1928 | 5 | 312 | Same storm as #2 |
| 17 | USVI, Puerto Rico | 1932 | 2 | 225 |
| 25 | DONNA (St. Thomas, VI) | 1960 | 4 | 107 |
| 25 | Puerto Rico | 1888 | 1 | ≥100 |
| 37 | Southern California | 1939 | TS | 45 |
| 37 | ELOISE(Puerto Rico) | 1975 | TS | 44 |
| 47 | USVI | 1871 | 3 | ≥27 |
From The Deadliest, Costliest, and Most Intense United States Tropical
Cyclones from 1851 to 2006 (and other Frequently Requested Hurricane Facts)
NOAA Technical Memorandum NWS TPC-5 April 15, 2007, Eric S. Blake,
Edward N. Rappaport, Christopher W. Landsea.
Last updated June 1, 2007
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