U.S. Tornadoes Find a list of the most deadly and intense tornadoes in the U.S. with casualty information. 1840 May 6, Natchez, Miss.:tornado struck heart of the city, killing 317 and injuring over 1,000. 1880 April 18, Marshfield, Mo.:series of 24 tornadoes demolished city, killing 99 people. 1884 Feb. 19, Miss., Ala., N.C., S.C., Tenn., Ky., Ind.:series of 60 tornadoes caused estimated 800 deaths. 1890 March 27, Louisville, Ky.:twister hit community and caused 76 deaths. 1896 May 27, eastern Mo. and southern Ill.:series of 18 tornadoes; 1 tornado destroyed large section of St. Louis, Mo., killing 255. 1899 June 12, New Richmond, Wis.:tornado struck while circus was in town, causing 117 deaths. 1902 May 18, Goliad, Tex.:tornado killed 114. 1903 June 1, Gainesville, Holland, Ga.:twister caused 98 deaths. 1905 May 10, Snyder, Okla.:tornado killed 97. 1908 April 24–25, La., Miss., Ala., Ga.:18 tornadoes resulted in 310 deaths (143 of these caused by 1 tornado that moved from Amite, La. to Purvis, Miss.). April 24, Natchez, Miss.:twister struck, causing 91 deaths. 1913 March 23, eastern Nebr. and western Iowa:Easter Sunday: 8 tornadoes resulted in 181 deaths (103 in Omaha, Nebr.). 1917 May 26, Mattoon, Ill.:tornado smashed area, causing 101 deaths. 1920 April 20, Starkville, Miss.; Waco, Ala.:tornado killed 88. 1924 June 28, Lorain, Sandusky, Ohio:tornado swept through cities, causing 85 deaths. 1925 March 18, Mo., Ill., Ind.:the “Tri-State Tornado” was the most violent single twister in U.S. history. It caused the deaths of 695 people and injured over 2,000. Property damage was estimated at $16.5 million. 1927 May 9, Poplar Bluff, Mo.:twister killed 98. Sept. 29, St. Louis, Mo.:a five-minute tornado ripped through the city and caused 79 deaths. 1932 March 21–22, Ala., Miss., Ga., Tenn.:outbreak of 33 tornadoes killed 334 (268 in Ala.). 1936 April 5–6, Deep South:series of 17 tornadoes; 216 killed in Tupelo, Miss., and 203 killed in Gainesville, Ga. 1944 June 23, W. Va., Pa., Md.:4 tornadoes caused 153 deaths. 1947 April 9, Woodward, Okla.:tornado demolished town, killing 181. 1952 March 21–22, Ark. and Tenn.:28 tornadoes caused 204 deaths. 1953 May 11, Waco, Tex.:a single tornado killed 114. June 8, Flint, Mich.:tornado killed 115. June 9, Worcester, Mass.:tornado hit town, killing 90. 1955 May 25, Udall, Kans.:tornado killed 80. 1965 April 11–12, Midwest–Great Lakes region:tornadoes in Iowa, Ill., Ind., Ohio, Mich., and Wis. caused 256 deaths. 1967 April 21, northern Ill., also Mo., Iowa, lower Mich.:series of 52 tornadoes caused 58 deaths. 1971 Feb. 21, Miss., La., Ark., Tenn.:series of 10 tornadoes resulted in 121 deaths. 1974 April 3–4:a series of 148 twisters within 16 hours comprised the deadly “Super Tornado Outbreak” that struck 13 states in the East, South, and Midwest. Before it was over, 330 died and 5,484 were injured in a damage path covering more than 2,500 mi. 1979 April 10, northern Tex. and southern Okla.:11 tornadoes caused 59 deaths. 1984 March 28, N.C. and S.C.:22 tornadoes caused 57 deaths. 1985 May 31, Pa. and Ohio:27 tornadoes resulted in 75 deaths. Estimated damages were $450 million. 1990 Aug. 28, northern Ill.:fast-moving tornado struck the southwest suburbs of Chicago, killing 29 and injuring more than 300. 1992 Nov. 21–23, southeast Tex. to Mid-Atlantic and Ohio Valley:total of 94 tornadoes caused 26 deaths and $291 million in damage. 1994 March 27, Ala., Ga., and N.C.:Palm Sunday tornado outbreak resulted in 42 deaths and 320 injuries. Property damages reached $107 million. Twenty people died and 90 were injured when a tornado caused the roof of a church near Piedmont, Ala., to collapse. 1997 May 27, central Tex.:multiple tornadoes, including one particularly strong twister that devastated the town of Jarrell, caused 29 deaths and an estimated $20 million in damage. 1999 Jan. 17–22, Tenn. and Ark.:a series of tornadoes left 17 dead. Damages were estimated at $1.3 billion. May 3, Okla. and Kans.:unusually large twister, thought to have been a mile wide at times, killed 44 people and injured at least 748. A separate tornado killed another 5 and injured about 150 in Kans. Damages totaled at least $1 billion. 2000 Feb. 14, southwest Ga.:at least 5 tornadoes struck southwest Ga., killing 19 people and injuring over 100. 2002 Nov. 9–11, central and southeast U.S.:series of more than 70 tornadoes across 9 states from Miss. to Pa. killed 36 people. 2003 May 1–10, southern and midwestern U.S.:more than 400 tornadoes in 10 days killed 42. 2006 March–April, plains, Tenn, and Ohio valley, U.S.:more than 500 tornadoes killed 47 people in the 2–month period. 2007 March 1, Ala., Minn., Miss., and Ga.:a series of tornados killed about 20 people, including eight high school students. May 7, Kans.:ten people died in a Category F-5 tornado that completely wiped out a small Kansas farming town.

Typhoons 1906 Sept. 18, Hong Kong:typhoon with tsunami killed an estimated 10,000 people. 1934 Sept. 21, Japan:typhoon killed more than 4,000 on Honshu. 1949 Dec. 5, off Korea:typhoon struck fishing fleet; several thousand men reported dead. 1958 Sept. 27, Honshu, Japan:“Vera” left nearly 5,000 dead and 1.5 million homeless. 1959 Aug. 20, Fukien province, China:“Iris” killed 2,334. 1960 June 9, Fukien province, China:“Mary” caused at least 1,600 deaths. 1984 Sept. 2–3, Philippines:“Ike” hit seven major islands, leaving 1,300 dead. 1991 Nov. 5, central Philippines:flash floods from tropical storm “Thelma” killed about 3,000 people. City of Ormoc on Leytewas worst hit. 2003 Sept. 12, South Korea:With winds up to 130 mph, Typhoon Maemi, one of the most powerful typhoons to hit South Korea in a century, kills at least 110 people, disrupts electrical power and communications systems, knocks over ships in the port, and forces the evacuation of thousands from their homes. 2004 Oct. 20, Japan:Typhoon Tokage, the deadliest typhoon to hit Japan in more than two decades, kills at least 80 people as heavy rains flood tens of thousands of houses and trigger numerous landslides. The typhoon produces a record (since 1970) 80 ft (24 m) high wave, eight-stories high. 2007 Aug.18, Taiwan:Typhoon Sepat, hit Taiwan with winds over 120 mph, cutting power supplies to nearly 57,000 homes, killing over 40 people, injuring 12 more, and forcing more than a thousand others to evacuate. 2008 June 21, the Philippines:a ferry, thePrincess of the Stars, is struck by Typhoon Fengshen, killing most of the 865 passengers and crew. There are 59 known survivors. Almost 500 other people die during the storm. July 28, Taiwan:Typhoon Fung Wong, hit the east central coast of Taiwan with winds over 105 mph, only a week after a tropical storm killed 19 people.

Major Blizzards in the U.S. 1888 Jan. 12, Dakota and Montana territories, Minn., Nebr., Kans., and Tex.:“Schoolchildren's Blizzard” resulted in 235 deaths, many of which were children on their way home from school. March 11–14, East Coast:“ Blizzard of 1888” resulted in 400 deaths and as much as 5 ft of snow. Damage was estimated at $20 million. 1949 Jan. 2–4, Nebr., Wyo., S.D., Utah, Colo., and Nev.:Actually one of a series of winter storms between Jan. 1 and Feb. 22. Although only 1 ft to 30 in. of snow fell, fierce winds of up to 72 mph created drifts as high as 30 ft. Tens of thousands of cattle and sheep perished. 1950 Nov. 25–27, eastern U.S.:“Storm of the Century” generated heavy snow and hurricane-force winds across 22 states and claimed 383 lives. Damages estimated at $70 million. 1977 Jan. 28–29, Buffalo, N.Y.:“Blizzard of 1977” dumped about 7 in. of new snow on top of 30–35 in. already on the ground. With winds gusting to 70 mph, drifts were as high as 30 ft. Death toll reached 29, and seven western N.Y. counties were declared a national disaster area. 1978 Feb. 6–8, eastern U.S.:“Blizzard of 1978” battered the East Coast, particularly the Northeast; claimed 54 lives and caused $1 billion in damage. Snowfall ranged from 2–4 ft in New England, plus nearly 2 ft of snow already on the ground from an earlier storm. 1993 March 12–14, eastern U.S.:“Superstorm” paralyzed the eastern seaboard, causing the deaths of some 270 people. Record snowfalls (with rates of 2–3 in. per hour) and high winds caused $3 billion to $6 billion in damage. 1996 Jan. 6–8, eastern U.S.:heavy snow paralyzed the Appalachians, the mid-Atlantic, and the Northeast; 187 were killed in the blizzard and in the floods that resulted after a sudden warm-up. Damages reached $3 billion. 1999 Jan. 1–3, Midwest U.S.:major blizzard and sub-zero temperatures wreak havoc in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio; 73 were killed in the blizzard and transportation systems in the region were paralyzed. Damages reached about $500 million.

Other Hurricanes 1780 Oct. 10–16, Barbados, West Indies:“The Great Hurricane of 1780” killed 20,000–22,000 people and completely flattened the islands of Barbados, Martinique, and St. Eustatius;it is the deadliest Western Hemisphere hurricane on record. 1926 Oct. 20, Cuba:powerful hurricane killed 650. 1930 Sept. 3, Dominican Republic:hurricane killed about 8,000 people. 1955 Sept. 19, Mexico:“Hilda” took 200 lives. Sept. 22–28, Caribbean:“Janet” killed 200 in Honduras and 300 in Mexico. 1961 Oct. 31, British Honduras:“Hattie” devastated capital of Belize, killing at least 400. 1963 Oct. 2–7, Caribbean:“Flora” killed about 7,200 in Haiti and Cuba. 1966 Sept. 24–30, Caribbean area:“Inez” killed 293. 1974 Sept. 14–19, Honduras:“Fifi” struck northern part of country, leaving 8,000 dead and 100,000 homeless. 1988 Sept. 12–17, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico:“Gilbert” took at least 260 lives and caused some 39 tornadoes in Tex. 1997 Oct. 8–10, southern Mexico:“Pauline” devastated resort city of Acapulco and villages along the coast in states of Oaxacaand Guerrero,leaving 217 dead and 20,000 homeless. 1998 Sept. 20–29, Caribbean, Fla. Keys, and Gulf Coast:“George” killed about 600 people, mostly in Dominican Republic. Damage estimated to be $5 billion, including $2 billion in Puerto Rico. Oct. 26–Nov. 4, Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala:“Mitch” killed more than 14,500 people, becoming the deadliest Atlantic storm in 200 years. Two to three million people were left homeless; damages were more than $5 billion. 2004 Sept. 18, Haiti:Floods from tropical storm “Jeanne” killed more than 2,400 in Haiti and left 300,000 homeless. 2007 Aug. 13–23, Caribbean and Mexico:“Dean,” a category 5 hurricane with winds reaching 150 mph, took 32 lives and caused more than $200 million in damage. Aug. 31–Sept. 5, Caribbean, Nicaragua, and Honduras:“Felix,” a category 5 hurricane with winds reaching 150 mph, took at least 130 lives and left 70 others missing. 2008 Aug. 28–Sept. 2, Caribbean and Gulf Coast:"Gustav" killed at least 137 people and injured many more when it made landfall in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Thousands were left homeless and without food and water. In the U.S., "Gustav" forced the entire city of New Orleans to evacuate and left 26 people dead in three states. Sept. 7–8, Haiti, Cuba, Turks and Caicos islands:“Ike,” a category 2 hurricane with winds reaching 120 mph, took at least 61 lives in Haiti, left more than 80% of homes destroyed on Turks and Caicos islands, and caused four deaths and 800,000 people to evacuate their homes in Cuba. Nov. 8, Cuba:“Paloma,” a category 3 hurricane with winds reaching 120 mph, forced more than 300,000 people in Cuba to evacuate their homes and caused about $9.4 billion in damages.

U.S. Hurricanes Find data about the most intense and deadliest hurricanes to strike the U.S. Figures include 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.