List of deadliest Atlantic hurricanes

This is a list of the deadliest known Atlantic hurricanes that caused at least 1,000 direct deaths, the deadliest being the Great Hurricane of 1780, with over 27,500 deaths.

Deadliest hurricanes

Great Hurricane of 1780

The Great Hurricane of 1780, also known as the Hurricane San Calixto II, is the deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record. Well over 25,000 people died when the storm passed through the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean between October 10 and October 16. The hurricane struck Barbados with wind gusts possibly exceeding 200 mph (320 km/h), before moving past Martinique, Saint Lucia, and Sint Eustatius; thousands of deaths were reported on each island. Coming in the midst of the American Revolution, the storm caused heavy losses to British and French fleets contesting for control of the area. The hurricane later passed near Puerto Rico and over the eastern portion of the Dominican Republic, causing heavy damage near the coastlines, and ultimately turned to the northeast before being last observed on October 20 southeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland.

The death toll from the Great Hurricane alone exceeds that for any other entire decade of Atlantic hurricanes, and is substantially higher than that of the second-deadliest Atlantic storm, Mitch. The hurricane was part of the disastrous 1780 Atlantic hurricane season, with three exceptionally deadly storms occurring in the month of October.

Hurricane Mitch

Hurricane Mitch formed from a tropical wave late in October 1998 in the central Caribbean Sea. As the storm drifted over warm water it quickly intensified to a Category 5 hurricane with 180 mph (290 km/h) winds on October 26, then stalled just off the north coast of Honduras. The hurricane slowly weakened as it inched southward toward shore and then inland before drifting westward over main Central America. Extreme amounts of rainfall — accumulating to a maximum of nearly 36 inches in Choluteca, Honduras — caused flooding and landslides which killed 11,000–18,000 people and caused catastrophic damage throughout Honduras and neighboring countries.

Galveston Hurricane of 1900

A tropical storm formed in late August 1900 in the central tropical Atlantic and moved across Cuba into the Gulf of Mexico. The hurricane rapidly intensified while crossing the Gulf, and made a direct strike on the booming city of Galveston, Texas on September 8 with 135 mph (215 km/h) winds. Storm surge washed over the entire island, flattening nearly all buildings in the city and killing 6,000–12,000.

Hurricane Fifi

Fifi formed in the Caribbean Sea in mid-September 1974 and moved westward, steadily strengthening to peak at 110 mph (175 km/h) winds. The hurricane paralleled the coast of Honduras, staying just offshore, before making landfall in southern Belize on September 19. Fifi dropped torrential rainfall across Central America, causing catastrophic damage and 8,000–10,000 deaths.

1930 Dominican Republic Hurricane

A tropical system formed in late August 1930 in the open Atlantic. It crossed the Lesser Antilles and strengthened as it moved toward Hispaniola. The hurricane made landfall in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on September 3 as a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. The storm leveled the city, and caused between 2,000 and 8,000 fatalities.

Hurricane Flora

Hurricane Flora formed in late September 1963 in the tropical Atlantic Ocean. It moved westward, and strengthened to a major hurricane upon moving through the Windward Islands. Flora continued intensifying and became a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale just before making landfall on southwestern Haiti on October 4. It drifted westward through Cuba, turned back to the east, and accelerated to the northeast. Flora dropped torrential rainfall along its path, and was responsible for 7,186–8,000 fatalities and billions of dollars in damage, mostly in Haiti and Cuba.

Storms causing over one thousand deaths

Deaths source	Name	Season
27,500+	Great Hurricane of 1780	1780
11,000 – 18,000	Hurricane Mitch	1998
8,000 – 12,000	“Galveston” Hurricane	1900
8,000 – 10,000	Hurricane Fifi	1974
2,000 – 8,000	“Dominican Republic” Hurricane	1930
7,186 – 8,000	Hurricane Flora	1963
6,000+	Pointe-à-Pitre Bay Hurricane	1776
4,000 – 4,163+	“Newfoundland” Hurricane	1775
4,075+	“Okeechobee” Hurricane	1928
3,433+	Hurricane “San Ciriaco”	1899
2,500 – 3,107	“Cuba” Hurricane	1932
3,037	Hurricane Jeanne	2004
3,000+	“Central Atlantic” Hurricane	1782
3,000+	“Martinique” Hurricane	1813
2,000 – 3,000	“Central America” Hurricane	1934
30 – 3,000	“Cuba” Hurricane	1791
1,500 – 2,500	“Barbados” Hurricane	1831
1,500 – 2,500	“Belize” Hurricane	1931
1,168 – 2,150	“Caribbean” Hurricane	1935
2,063+	Hurricane David	1979
2,000+	Florida Hurricane	1781
1,000 – 2,500	Sea Islands Hurricane	1893
2,000	Gulf of Mexico Hurricane	1780
1,800 – 2,000	1893 Chenier Caminanda Hurricane	1893
136 – 2,000	Hurricane San Marcos	1870
up to 2,000	Caribbean Hurricane	1666
1,836+	Hurricane Katrina	2005
1,662+	Hurricane Stan	2005
1,600	Martinique Hurricane	1767
1,500	Mexico Hurricane	1909
up to 1,500	Cuba and Florida Hurricane	1644
372 – 1,300+	Caribbean Hurricane	1824
1,300	Nicaragua Hurricane	1605
1,145	Hurricane Gordon	1994
42 – 1,090	Jamaica and Cuba Hurricane	1780
1,090	Straits of Florida Hurricane	1622
1,000+	Gulf of Mexico Hurricane	1590
1,000+	Barbados Hurricane	1694
1,000 – 2,500	Bahamas Hurricane	1715
43 – 1,000	Havana Hurricane	1768
1,000	Veracruz Hurricane	1601
600 – 1,200	Hurricane Hazel	1954
1,000	Hurricane Inez	1966

See also

• List of Atlantic hurricanes

Sources

• NOAA deadliest hurricanes
• Other sources are included in the hurricanes' articles