Here's a list of the top 30 in terms of intensity, cost & deaths...
30 Most Intense USA (continental) hurricanes from 1900-present
(at time of landfall with landfall area)
Updated from Hebert et al. (1997) RANKING HURRICANE YEAR CATEGORY PRESSURE
(millibars) (inches of Hg)
1 FL (Keys) 1935 5 892 26.35
2 Camille (MS/SE LA/VA) 1969 5 909 26.84
3 Andrew (SE FL/SE LA) 1992 4 922 27.23
4 FL (Keys)/S TX 1919 4 927 27.37
5 FL (Lake Okeechobee) 1928 4 929 27.43
6 Donna (FL/Eastern U.S.) 1960 4 930 27.46
7 TX (Galveston) 1900 4 931 27.49
7 LA (Grand Isle) 1909 4 931 27.49
7 LA (New Orleans) 1915 4 931 27.49
7 Carla (N & Cent. TX) 1961 4 931 27.49
11 Hugo (SC) 1989 4 934 27.58
12 FL (Miami)
/MS/AL/NW FL 1926 4 935 27.61
13 Hazel (SC/NC) 195 4 * 938 27.70
14 SE FL/SE LA/MS 1947 4 940 27.76
15 N TX 1932 4 941 27.79
16 Gloria
(Eastern U.S.) 1985 3 *& 942 27.82
16 Opal (NW FL/AL) 1995 3 & 942 27.82
18 Audrey (SW LA/N TX) 1957 4 # 945 27.91
18 TX (Galveston) 1915 4 # 945 27.91
18 Celia (S TX) 1970 3 945 27.91
18 Allen (S TX) 1980 3 945 27.91
22 NEW ENGLAND 1938 3 * 946 27.94
22 Frederic (AL/MS) 1979 3 946 27.94
24 NE U.S. 1944 3 * 947 27.97
24 SC/NC 1906 3 947 27.97
26 Betsy
(SE FL/SE LA) 1965 3 948 27.99
26 SE FL/NW FL 1929 3 948 27.99
26 SE FL 1933 3 948 27.99
26 S TX 1916 3 948 27.99
26 MS/AL 1916 3 948 27.99
Notes
Intensity is for time of landfall. The cyclones may have been stronger at other times.
* Moving more than 30 miles per hour
& Highest category justified by winds
# Classified category 4 because of estimated winds
Note that Hurricane Gilbert's estimated 888 mb lowest pressure in mid- September 1988 is the most intense [as measured by lowest sea level pressure] for the Atlantic basin, but it affected the USA only as a weakening tropical depression (Neumann et al 1993).
Top 30 Damaging Hurricanes - From 1900-present
(Normalized to 1998 dollars by inflation, wealth increases, and coastal county population changes)
Updated from Pielke and Landsea (1998) RANK HURRICANE YEAR CATEGORY DAMAGE (U.S))
1 SE Florida/Alabama 1926 4 $83,814,000,000
2 ANDREW (SE FL/LA) 1992 4 38,362,000,000
3 N Texas (Galveston) 1900 4 30,856,000,000
4 N Texas (Galveston) 1915 4 26,144,000,000
5 SW Florida 1944 3 19,549,000,000
6 New England 1938 3 19,275,000,000
7 SE Florida/Lake Okeechobee 1928 4 15,991,000,000
8 BETSY (SE FL/LA) 1965 3 14,413,000,000
9 DONNA (FL/Eastern U.S.) 1960 4 13,967,000,000
10 CAMILLE (MS/LA/VA) 1969 5 12,711,000,000
11 AGNES (NW FL, NE U.S.) 1972 1 12,408,000,000
12 DIANE (NE U.S.) 1955 1 11,861,000,000
13 HUGO (SC) 1989 4 10,872,000,000
14 CAROL (NE U.S.) 1954 3 10,509,000,000
15 SE Florida/Louisiana/Alabama 1947 4 9,630,000,000
16 CARLA (N & Central TX) 1961 4 8,194,000,000
17 HAZEL (SC/NC) 1954 4 8,160,000,000
18 NE U.S 1944 3 7,490,000,000
19 SE Florida 1945 3 7,318,000,000
20 FREDERIC (AL/MS) 1979 3 7,295,000,000
21 SE Florida 1949 3 6,767,000,000
22 S Texas 1919 4 6,200,000,000
23 ALICIA (N TX) 1983 3 4,702,000,000
24 FLOYD (NC) 1999 2 4,500,000,000
25 CELIA (S TX) 1970 3 3,869,000,000
26 DORA (NE FL) 1964 2 3,603,000,000
27 FRAN (NC) 1996 3 3,591,000,000
28 OPAL (NW FL/AL) 1995 3 3,478,000,000
29 GEORGES (SW FL/MS) 1998 2 3,073,000,000
30 CLEO (SE FL) 1964 2 2,823,000,000
Notes :
Andrew is no longer the most destructive hurricane on record.
24 of the top 30 destructive hurricanes were major hurricanes od Saffir-Simpson scale 3 or higher. Most of the very destructive Category 1 and 2 hurricanes caused their damage through rainfall-induced flooding, often well away from the coast.
Though the major hurricanes make up only 21% of the US landfalling tropical storms and hurricanes, they cause an estimated 83% of the total normalized damage.
If one used only inflation to normalize hurricane damages, that would not take into account the massive coastal population increases and structural buildup that have occurred along the US East and especially the Gulf coasts during the past few decades. Major hurricanes will continue to inflict massive destruction along the USA coastlines, even with perfect forecasts of their track and intensity.
30 Deadliest USA (continental) hurricanes from 1900-1998
Updated from Hebert et al. (1997) RANKING HURRICANE YEAR CATEGORY DEATHS
1 Unnamed - Galveston, TX 1900 4 8000+
2 Unnamed - Lake Okeechobee, FL 1928 4 1836
3 Unnamed - Fl Keys/S TX 1919 4 600&
4 "New England" 1938 3 600
5 "Labor Day" - FL Keys 1935 5 408
6 Audrey - SW LA/N TX 1957 4 390
7 Unnamed - NE U.S. 1944 3 390#
8 Unnamed - Grand Isle, LA 1909 4 350
9 Unnamed - New Orleans, LA 1915 4 275
10 Unnamed - Galveston, TX 1915 4 275
11 Camille - MS/LA 1969 5 256
12 Unnamed - FL/MS/AL 1926 4 243
13 Diane - NE U.S. 1955 1 184
14 Unnamed - SE FL 1906 2 164
15 Unnamed - MS/AL/FL 1906 3 134
16 Agnes - NE U.S. 1972 1 122
17 Hazel - SC/NC 1954 4 95
18 Betsy - SE FL/SE LA 1965 3 75
19 Carol - NE U.S. 1954 3 60
20 Floyd - Eastern U.S. 1999 2 57
21 Unnamed - SE FL/LA/MS 1947 4 51
22 Donna - FL/Eastern U.S. 1960 4 50
22 Unnamed - GA/SC/NC 1940 2 50
24 Carla - TX 1961 4 46
25 Unnamed - TX 1909 3 41
26 Unnamed - TX 1932 4 40
26 Unnamed - S TX 1933 3 40
28 Hilda - LA 1964 3 38
29 Unnamed - SW LA 1918 3 34
30 Unnamed - SW FL 1910 3 30
30 Alberto - NW FL/GA/AL 1994 TS 30
ADDENDUM (Pre-1900 or not Atlantic/Gulf Coast):
2 Unnamed - LA 1893 Unk 2000
2 Unnamed - SC/GA 1893 Unk 1000-2000
3 Unnamed - GA/SC 1881 Unk 700
9 San Felipe - Puerto Rico 1928 4 312
13 U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico 1932 2 225
17 Donna - St. Thomas, VI 1960 4 107
24 Southern California 1939 TS& 45
24 Eloise - Puerto Rico 1975 TS& 44
Notes
+ May actually have been as high as 10,000 to 12,000.
& Over 500 lost on ships at sea; 600-900 estimate deaths.
# Some 344 of these lost on ships at sea.
One can take some comfort in the fact that even with the massive damage amounts that hurricanes can cause, none of those hurricanes in recent years have caused huge numbers of deaths in the USA. This is because of the increasingly skillful forecasts of hurricane tracks, the ability to communicate warnings to the public via radio and television, and the infrastructure that allows for evacuations to proceed safely for those in the hurricane's path (Sheets 1990).
However, if people chose to ignore warnings or if evacuations are not able to remove people from danger (because of too many people overcrowding limited escape routes - the Florida Keys and US 1 is a good example), then the potential remains for disasters similar to - or worse than - what was seen decades ago.
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2005 Forecast: 14/7/4
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