What hurricane season was like the year you were born
Photo illustration by Michael Flocker // Stacker // Getty Images
What hurricane season was like the year you were born
A lighthouse being hit with massive waves, a beach road destroyed after a storm and a figure watching palm trees bend in the waves and wind.
The fast winds, rapid rainfall, and huge storm surges of hurricanes make this natural disaster responsible for hundreds of deaths and millions of dollars’ worth of damage each year. Hurricanes have wrecked more havoc than any other natural disaster, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. They’ve caused more than $1.3 trillion in damage since 1980, averaging $22.8 billion per hurricane. Hurricanes have also resulted in the highest number of deaths in the U.S.—6,890 Americans have lost their lives in hurricanes between 1980 and 2023.
Hurricanes are large, wet storms with high winds that form over warm water. On average, about 10 tropical storms develop each year, and six reach the strength of hurricanes, according to NOAA. Hurricane season in the Atlantic basin—the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea—runs from June 1 to Nov. 30, though some hurricanes do form outside of this season.
Hurricanes are rated using the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Category 1 hurricanes have the lowest wind speeds at 74-95 miles per hour, and Category 5 hurricanes have the strongest winds at 157 miles per hour or higher. Storms that are Category 3 and above (reaching at least 111 miles per hour) are considered major hurricanes.
Stronger hurricanes can trigger flash floods, mudslides, and tornadoes, but even weaker ones can cause extensive destruction to property, infrastructure, and crops. Some hurricanes remain at sea and never make landfall, limiting the destruction they cause. Advancements in technology, particularly satellite imaging, have greatly improved warnings and advisories that prompted live-saving evacuations.
Weather disasters like hurricanes have become more consistently destructive in recent years. In July 2024, Hurricane Beryl tore through southeast Texas, causing at least 36 deaths. It was the earliest Category 5 storm on record. As of August 2024, forecasts from NOAA warn that this season could bring up to 24 named storms with at least eight hurricanes.
To see how hurricane season has evolved over time, Stacker obtained hurricane data, updated in 2023, from the NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanic and Meteorological Laboratory, dating back to 1924. A list of notable events from each year was compiled from news, scientific, and government reports. (Because hurricanes were not given official names until 1950, this article refers to storms through 1949 as “recorded storms” as opposed to “named storms”.)
Read on to learn about the noteworthy tropical storms and hurricanes from the year you were born.
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1924: The first Category 5 on record
Rough raves crashing in the ocean.
– Recorded storms: 11
– Hurricanes: 5
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 2
Hurricane records date back to 1842, and 1924 was a first for the record books: An unnamed Category 5 hurricane struck Cuba, becoming the first Category 5 hurricane ever recorded.
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1925: A late-season hurricane strikes Florida
A house on its side surrounded by destroyed trees.
– Recorded storms: 4
– Hurricanes: 1
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 0
The 1925 hurricane season was a relatively quiet one, but it still made history. The season saw a hurricane make landfall in Florida on Dec. 1, one of the latest hurricanes to hit the U.S. on record.
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1926: A deadly hurricane hits Miami
Destroyed buildings in a dense urban area.
– Recorded storms: 11
– Hurricanes: 8
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 6
The 1926 hurricane season is remembered for one of the deadliest storms in U.S. history. A Category 4 hurricane hit South Florida in September, killing about 250 people and leaving 25,000 residents homeless. According to PBS, the September hurricane, known as the Great Miami Hurricane, was the country’s greatest natural disaster in two decades, since the deadly earthquake and fire that hit San Francisco in 1906. Today, the storm is still considered among the strongest, deadliest, and most costly in the country’s history.
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1927: New England gets flooded
Massive waves crash against a lighthouse.
– Recorded storms: 8
– Hurricanes: 4
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 1
No hurricanes struck the U.S. in 1927. However, that doesn’t mean the country didn’t feel the effects of those Atlantic basin storms anyway. In early November, a hurricane moved up the Atlantic coast, leading to disastrous rainfall in New England, with some parts of Vermont receiving as much as 15 inches of rain, resulting in widespread flooding.
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1928: Another deadly hurricane in southern Florida
People standing along a street of destructed two-storey buildings.
– Recorded storms: 6
– Hurricanes: 4
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 1
Just two years after the Great Miami Hurricane sounded the alarm to southern Floridians about the area being storm-prone, the Okeechobee Hurricane of 1928 struck, cementing that fact. The hurricane made landfall in Palm Beach County on Sept. 16, killing around 2,500, many of whom were migrant workers, and leaving 800,000 homeless. Before landing in Florida, the hurricane also hit Puerto Rico on Sept. 13, the feast day of Saint Philip. It was the second hurricane to strike Puerto Rico on that day of celebration.
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1929: A slow-moving hurricane slams the Bahamas
An aerial view of smoke plumes emerging from a city near the coast.
– Recorded storms: 5
– Hurricanes: 3
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 1
The Great Bahamas Hurricane, also known as the Great Andros Island Hurricane, barely moved over the course of three days in September, hovering above Nassau and Andros in the Bahamas. The storm killed 134 people, with mariners and anglers making up a large majority of the fatalities.
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1930: A hurricane demolishes the Dominican Republic
A high-angle view of a destroyed city.
– Recorded storms: 3
– Hurricanes: 2
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 2
Though 1930 was a quiet hurricane season overall, it also saw one of the Atlantic Ocean’s deadliest hurricanes. The Dominican Republic Hurricane, also known as the San Zenón Hurricane, was a Category 4 storm that killed up to 8,000 people in the Dominican Republic.
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1931: Belize’s deadliest hurricane
Wreckage surrounding a mostly destroyed building as people walk down the street.
– Recorded storms: 13
– Hurricanes: 3
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 1
In September 1931, a hurricane hit Belize, then known as British Honduras, and killed about 2,500 people. The colony’s capital, Belize City, was submerged in about five feet of water, leaving nearly 70% of the city destroyed. As of August 2024, it is the deadliest hurricane to hit Belize in recorded history.
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1932: Category 4 hurricane strikes Cuba
Destroyed homes on a residential street.
– Recorded storms: 15
– Hurricanes: 6
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 4
The Huracán de Santa Cruz del Sur, a Category 4 storm, hit Cuba in November 1932 and caused 3,500 fatalities. Most of the deaths were due to a storm surge, a flash flood that rose to over 20 feet. The damage in the town of Santa Cruz del Sur was particularly catastrophic, hence the hurricane’s unofficial name. According to the Associated Press, less than 10% of the town’s residents were able to flee unscathed.
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1933: A record hurricane season in the Caribbean
Palm trees blowing in high winds.
– Recorded storms: 20
– Hurricanes: 11
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 6
The 1933 hurricane season was one of the most active in Atlantic basin history. Of the 11 hurricanes that season, eight were tracked through the Caribbean alone, which is the most ever recorded in that area, as of 2021.
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1934: Hurricane ‘hunting’ improves
An uprooted tree laying atop a vehicle.
– Recorded storms: 13
– Hurricanes: 7
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 1
Unlike the year that preceded it, the 1934 hurricane season was much less destructive, which was both a natural development and a technological one. The United States Weather Bureau’s improved system for “hunting” hurricanes involved calling ships for weather updates, which allowed earlier warnings to residents to escape potential threats.
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1935: Category 5 Labor Day Hurricane
Palms trees on a beach blowing in storm winds.
– Recorded storms: 8
– Hurricanes: 5
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 3
At the time of its landfall, the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane was one of the strongest storms to touch down in the U.S. It was also the country’s first Category 5 hurricane ever. More than 400 people died in the storm’s path that made landfall in the Florida Keys, making it one of the 10 deadliest hurricanes in the country’s history.
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1936: Texas takes a hit
Waves crashing against a street with a house.
– Recorded storms: 17
– Hurricanes: 7
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 1
Only one major hurricane struck the United States in 1936, and this time, it came for Texas. The storm made landfall on June 27 in Port Aransas, weakening as it made its way to Corpus Christi. Though the storm did damage boats and crops, there were no reported deaths or injuries.
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1937: A short hurricane season
Waves crashing in the sea.
– Recorded storms: 11
– Hurricanes: 4
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 1
The first tropical disturbance of the 1937 hurricane season was on July 29, and the last was on Oct. 4. The short season only had one major hurricane, near Barbuda in the Caribbean, but it never made landfall.
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1938: The hurricane with the fastest forward speed
An aerial view of waves crashing against destroyed buildings.
– Recorded storms: 9
– Hurricanes: 4
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 2
The Great New England Hurricane of 1938 recorded the fastest forward speed of a hurricane. The storm traversed 600 miles in 12 hours, moving at roughly 60 miles per hour. It earned the nickname “The Long Island Express” due to its trainlike high speeds.
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1939: Four hurricanes strike Southern California
People walking through ankle-deep water along an urban street.
– Recorded storms: 6
– Hurricanes: 3
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 1
In 1939, four tropical cyclones hit Southern California in September alone. The most destructive was El Cordonazo, which killed 93 people and was the only tropical storm to make landfall in the Golden State in the 20th century.
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1940: One of the wettest hurricanes in Louisiana history
People walking among wreckage along a body of water.
– Recorded storms: 9
– Hurricanes: 6
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 0
An unnamed Category 1 hurricane in August 1940 became one of the wettest ever recorded in Louisiana’s history. Rainfall peaked in the city of Crowley with 33.71 inches.
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1941: A hurricane breaches the Texas seawall
A warehouse surrounded by flood waters that come above halfway up the wheels of the cars parked.
– Recorded storms: 6
– Hurricanes: 4
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 3
A September 1941 hurricane breached the seawall in Texas near East Matagorda Bay. Water from the rising tide flooded residential and business areas, covering a local airport with up to three feet of water. In total, the hurricane caused $7 million in damage, with $5 million attributed to crop damage.
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1942: Multiple hurricanes batter Texas
A man stands beneath what looks like a massive plume of dark smoke on a beach surrounded by wreckage.
– Recorded storms: 11
– Hurricanes: 4
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 1
The 1942 season is only one of six in which multiple hurricanes made landfall in Texas. The worst of them hit Matagorda Bay on Aug. 30, causing eight fatalities, $11.5 million in property damage, and $15 million in crop damage.
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1943: Surprise hurricane during World War II
Dark clouds around a small town street with storefronts and parked cars with several transmission towers in the background.
– Recorded storms: 10
– Hurricanes: 5
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 2
During World War II, ship broadcasts in the Gulf of Mexico went silent so the military could keep a lookout for German U-boats. That radio silence meant no transmissions on weather conditions, too, so the hurricane that hit the Houston-Galveston area of Texas in late July came without warning, earning its nickname of the “surprise” hurricane.
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1944: Hurricane sinks World War II ships
People stand surrounded by wreckage and mostly destroyed buildings.
– Recorded storms: 14
– Hurricanes: 8
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 3
The Great Atlantic Hurricane made landfall on Long Island and Rhode Island in September 1944, causing 46 fatalities on land, and $100 million in damage. The storm also sank five World War II vessels, killing 334 additional people.
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1945: Homestead Hurricane destroys blimp hangars
A high-angle view of a foggy palm tree-lined street near the ocean.
– Recorded storms: 11
– Hurricanes: 5
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 2
In 1945, the Homestead Hurricane’s winds started a fire at Naval Air Station Richmond in South Florida that burnt down three wooden hangars used during World War II to house blimps and planes. The storm and its resulting fire ultimately destroyed 25 blimps and 360 aircraft and injured 200 people at the naval base.
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1946: No hurricane deaths in the US
Cars drive down a misty street along a coast with rows of folding street signs blown over.
– Recorded storms: 6
– Hurricanes: 3
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 1
The hurricane season of 1946 was a tame one. No lives were lost to tropical storms in the U.S. in 1946, and property damage stayed under $10 million, compared to $80 million in 1945 and $150 million in 1944.
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1947: An attempt to weaken a hurricane
Massive waves crash against the shore with a large building partially in sight, and palm trees blowing in the wind.
– Recorded storms: 9
– Hurricanes: 5
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 2
For the first time in 1947, the government tried to weaken a hurricane through a weather modification program called Project Cirrus. They used a method called cloud seeding, which involves releasing a substance into the air (in this case, dry ice) to modify the storm.
That same year, the Army Air Corps led a flight into a hurricane, marking the start of the Air Force Reserve’s Hurricane Hunters, who measure storms by entering the eye of the hurricane.
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1948: Two hurricanes hit South Florida
Photograph of the destruction of the seawall after a hurricane in Florida in 1947.
– Recorded storms: 9
– Hurricanes: 6
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 4
Two hurricanes hit South Florida two weeks apart in September 1948 and October 1948, causing extensive flood damage. The first of the two was the most destructive, featuring wind gusts of 160 miles per hour and producing six feet of storm surge.
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1949: Hurricane damages crops in Florida
Two children sleep on the floor in the Palm Beach County Courthouse as their mother keeps watch during a hurricane in Palm Beach, Florida on August 27, 1949.
– Recorded storms: 13
– Hurricanes: 7
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 3
A late August 1949 hurricane followed a similar path in South Florida as the Great Miami Hurricane of 1928 but caused twice the damage, particularly agriculturally. There was $45 million worth of damage in Florida alone, according to NOAA, mainly affecting crops.
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1950: Hurricanes given names
Flood waters surround a residential street near an intersection with a palm tree and a traffic light blowing in the wind.
– Named storms: 13
– Hurricanes: 11
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 8
The first year that hurricanes in the Atlantic were given names was 1950. The convention was to use names from the British–U.S. World War II spelling alphabet, starting with Hurricane Able. The fifth storm of the season, Hurricane Easy, didn’t live up to its moniker—the Category 3 hurricane devastated the town of Cedar Key, Florida.
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1951: Hurricane Charlie devastates Jamaica
A person examines a car with a tree crashed upon it.
– Named storms: 10
– Hurricanes: 8
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 5
No hurricanes made landfall in the U.S. in 1951. However, the third hurricane of the season, Hurricane Charlie, was one of the most destructive storms in Jamaica’s history, killing more than 150 people, leaving 25,000 homeless, and causing $50 million in damage.
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1952: A February tropical storm
A boat laying on its side in the shallow water near the shoreline.
– Named storms: 7
– Hurricanes: 6
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 3
In 1952, an unnamed winter tropical storm hit Florida on Feb. 2, Groundhog Day—well before the June start of the hurricane season. It’s the only known February tropical storm ever in the Atlantic basin and it wasn’t until 2015 that NOAA’s National Hurricane Research Division classified the low-pressure system as a tropical storm.
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1953: Hurricane naming system changes again
Cars and a bus drive through a flooded urban area in the rain.
– Named storms: 14
– Hurricanes: 6
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 4
In 1953, the U.S. scrapped the military naming system of 1950 and opted instead for a list of names traditionally used for women. While the new names were ready to go, the season was relatively tame, with only two hurricanes reaching the U.S. and they were not severe. There was one death and damage totaled about $6 million.
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1954: Sister storms wallop New England
A truck carrying frozen food stuck in mud and blocked by a fallen tree in a flooded road near a wooded area.
– Named storms: 11
– Hurricanes: 8
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 2
Until 1954, many people believed that hurricanes spared New England, but that changed when a duo of tropical cyclones hit the region in late August and early September of that year. The Category 3 hurricanes—known as “The Twins,” Carol and Edna—came close to destroying a few towns in Rhode Island. Hurricane Carol caused more property damage than any other hurricane by that point in recorded history, a record the storm would only hold for one year. As a result, NOAA retired the names Carol and Edna from hurricane nomenclature due to the severity of the storm’s destruction. (Carol was the first name to be retired in history.)
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1955: Another set of sister storms sets records
A person walks through a flooded urban area in front of a warehouse for Southern Sanitary Co. Dixie Cups.
– Named storms: 12
– Hurricanes: 9
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 6
Hurricanes Diane and Connie outdid the damage caused by Carol and Edna the previous year. The two storms hit the coast of North Carolina just five days apart, tracking up to Washington D.C., and eventually, New England. Hurricane Diane followed so soon after Hurricane Connie that their floods caused more property damage than any hurricane in history up until that point. It’s estimated that Diane alone led to 200 total fatalities. NOAA also retired the names Diane and Connie as a result.
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1956: A mild hurricane season
Storm waves crashing against a beach and a few palm trees blowing in the wind.
– Named storms: 8
– Hurricanes: 4
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 2
The 1956 season featured only a few hurricanes, and those storms were of low intensity, especially compared to the hurricanes of the two previous seasons. Hurricane Flossy was the only storm to touch down in the contiguous U.S., causing heavy rainfall in Alabama and Florida.
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1957: A destructive June hurricane
People sorting through wreckage on a residential street.
– Named storms: 8
– Hurricanes: 3
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 2
The 1957 hurricane season came back with a bit of a vengeance, mainly thanks to Hurricane Audrey, a June storm that caused an estimated 500 deaths. Audrey was also the likely cause of several tornadoes reported around its strike zone. The storm made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane in Louisiana, near the Louisiana-Texas border.
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1958: No hurricanes until August
Strong waves hit a speedboat crashed against the rocks.
– Named storms: 10
– Hurricanes: 7
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 5
The 1958 season didn’t have significant storm activity over the Atlantic until mid-August. In late September, Hurricane Helene became one of the most intense and destructive of the season, causing $11 million in damage in North Carolina, though it led to no fatalities.
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1959: Hurricane warnings save lives
Tree collapsed on car due to damage from Hurricane Gracie in 1959.
– Named storms: 11
– Hurricanes: 7
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 2
Several of 1959’s hurricanes were weak, just barely achieving hurricane status. Hurricane Gracie, which occurred late in the season, was the only major hurricane to reach the mainland U.S. It was also one of the most intense, causing 22 out of the 24 fatalities that year. Accurate warnings enabled many people to evacuate before Gracie wreaked havoc, resulting in the low death count.
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1960: Hurricane Donna reaches far
On a beach, a home collapsing into the sea.
– Named storms: 7
– Hurricanes: 4
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 2
Once Hurricane Donna struck Florida in September 1960, it was reported that its winds reached more U.S. coastline than any other storm on record. It was also the most destructive hurricane in Florida’s history at the time and it holds the record for retaining major hurricane status longer than any other storm in the Atlantic basin, lasting for a total of nine days.
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1961: Hurricane Carla forces evacuation
Waves crash against a building, with plumes of sea water reaching above the two-storey building.
– Named storms: 11
– Hurricanes: 8
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 7
Hurricane Carla was a Category 5 storm until just before it touched down in Texas as a Category 4 in mid-September 1961. Still, Carla was one of the largest and most intense hurricanes ever to strike the Gulf Coast. Fortunately, there were fewer than 50 fatalities, thanks to early warnings that allowed about 350,000 people to evacuate.
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1962: A quiet year for hurricanes
A taxi drives through flood waters during a storm.
– Named storms: 5
– Hurricanes: 3
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 1
With significantly fewer storms than usual, 1962 was the quietest hurricane season since 1939. Even the storms that occurred were less intense than expected. The first hurricane of the season, Alma, barely reached hurricane status and only remained one for 12 hours.
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1963: Hurricane Flora kills more than 7,000
A man sorts through wreckage near a wooded area.
– Named storms: 9
– Hurricanes: 7
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 2
The 1963 hurricane season started slow, but there were only two days without tropical cyclones on weather charts from Sept. 10 to Oct. 30. Hurricane Flora was the one that went down in history, becoming one of the deadliest storms the Atlantic had ever experienced. It killed an estimated 7,186 people and hit Haiti the hardest, taking the lives of over 5,000 people in the country. Flora’s agricultural damage—totaling a conservative estimate of $528.6 million—particularly devastated Cuba’s economy.
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1964: Four hurricanes hit the US mainland
Waves from flood waters hit against a home.
– Named storms: 12
– Hurricanes: 6
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 6
Four hurricanes hit the U.S. mainland in 1964, an occurrence that had only happened five other times since 1900. Though none were major, three of the four were severe—Hurricane Cleo, Hurricane Dora, and Hurricane Hilda. The season resulted in $515 million in damage and 266 deaths across the U.S. and other parts of the Atlantic basin.
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1965: Official hurricane season is established
A military vehicle with at least 10 people piled on drives through waist-deep flood waters, while another two people guide their boats along the flooded street.
– Named storms: 6
– Hurricanes: 4
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 1
1965 marked the establishment of an official hurricane season in the Atlantic, running annually from June 1 to Nov. 30. Nearly all—97%—tropical cyclones occur between those dates, according to NOAA.
Also in 1965, Hurricane Betsy caused major damage, knocking out 90% of power in New Orleans. At the time, it was the most destructive hurricane on record.
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1966: Alma and Inez break records
Palm trees blowing in the strong winds, surrounded by sea water.
– Named storms: 11
– Hurricanes: 7
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 3
The first storm of the 1966 season, Hurricane Alma, arrived earlier than any other hurricane since 1825. Hurricane Inez, another 1966 storm, had more advisories issued about it than any hurricane before it, with a total of 65. Inez was also the first single tropical cyclone to hit the West Indies, the Bahamas, Florida, and Mexico.
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1967: A late, but active season
A person running through a storm next to the shore where two large fishing boats are crashed upon it.
– Named storms: 8
– Hurricanes: 6
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 1
The 1967 season saw a record number of hurricanes for a season whose first storm didn’t develop until the end of August. The season also saw three hurricanes—Beulah, Chloe, and Doria—existing at the same time, a rare phenomenon.
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1968: Hurricane Gladys ends a drought
A person stands on a slightly raised bit of pavement in the middle of a flooded street.
– Named storms: 8
– Hurricanes: 4
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 0
1968 had an unusually calm hurricane season until Hurricane Gladys came along in October. The storm brought rainfall that ended North Carolina’s worst drought since 1932. Unfortunately, Gladys also killed five people and caused $6.7 million in damage.
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1969: Hurricane Camille clobbers the US
A residential street with two homes destroyed by a storm and surrounded by debris, including a large boat.
– Named storms: 18
– Hurricanes: 12
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 5
The hurricane season of 1969 was quite active, but one tropical cyclone, Hurricane Camille, has gone down in infamy. The Category 5 storm made landfall in Mississippi in mid-August 1969, with winds reaching an estimated 200 miles per hour. It’s one of only four Category 5 hurricanes to make landfall in the continental U.S. and it’s also one of the most expensive hurricanes in the country’s history, costing $1.4 billion in damages.
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1970: Hurricane Celia destroys Texas
A parking lot with parked cars covered in debris outside a warehouse.
– Named storms: 10
– Hurricanes: 5
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 2
The only hurricane that significantly affected the U.S. during the 1970 season was Hurricane Celia. The storm, which made landfall near Corpus Christi, Texas, in early August, caused $453.8 million in property and crop damage. At the time, it was the costliest hurricane to ever hit Texas, outdoing the damage of Hurricane Carla nearly a decade earlier.
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1971: Hurricane Ginger sets long-lasting record
People stand behind a barrier being hit by ocean waves.
– Named storms: 13
– Hurricanes: 6
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 1
Hurricane Ginger broke records in 1971, becoming the second-longest-running hurricane in the Atlantic basin by lasting 27.25 days (20 of which it was classified as a hurricane). However, the most destructive named storm of the year was Tropical Storm Doria, which dumped heavy rains throughout New England. Of the eight storm-related fatalities in the U.S. in 1971, six were the result of Doria.
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1972: Category 1 hurricane wreaks havoc
A flooded street with a car partially submerged.
– Named storms: 7
– Hurricanes: 3
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 0
There were fewer tropical storms and hurricanes in 1972 than any year since 1930, and most of the storms formed in temperate waters instead of the Tropics. The only storm that originated in tropical waters was Hurricane Agnes, which killed about 120 people and caused $3.1 billion in property damage. It became the first Category 1 hurricane in the Atlantic to have its name retired.
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1973: One of the least damaging seasons
A meteorologist looking at a storm analysis.
– Named storms: 8
– Hurricanes: 4
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 1
1973 was one of the least damaging hurricane seasons, with only 16 fatalities throughout the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico and less than $20 million in damage. For the first time since 1962, no hurricanes crossed the U.S. coastline in 1973.
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1974: Hurricane Fifi strikes Honduras
An aerial view of a residential area near a beach destructed by a storm.
– Named storms: 11
– Hurricanes: 4
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 2
In mid-September 1974, Hurricane Fifi grazed the coast of Honduras and made landfall in Belize, though it caused much more damage to the former. In some regions, Fifi caused 24 inches of rain in 36 hours, triggering mudslides and flash floods that destroyed 182 towns and killed 8,000 people in Honduras alone.
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1975: A return to hurricane normalcy
Photograph of Hurricane Eloise east of Louisiana approaching west Florida in 1975.
– Named storms: 9
– Hurricanes: 6
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 3
After five years of low hurricane activity in the Atlantic, 1975 marked a return to normalcy. However, Hurricane Eloise was the only storm to make landfall in the U.S. that year. It was also the most destructive storm of the season, causing more than $100 million in agricultural losses in Alabama alone.
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1976: Hurricane Belle destroys Northeast crops
A person carrying an open umbrella across a city street.
– Named storms: 10
– Hurricanes: 6
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 2
Hurricane Belle was one of two named storms to hit the U.S. in 1976, though the other was barely classified as a tropical storm. Belle significantly weakened the day before it hit Long Island, New York, on Aug. 10, yet the hurricane still caused $100 million in damage in the U.S., primarily due to the crops it ruined in the Northeast.
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1977: A late-season storm comes for Mexico
Waves crash against structures and lamp posts with two large boats in the distance.
– Named storms: 6
– Hurricanes: 5
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 1
Anita, the first hurricane of 1977, didn’t land until Aug. 29 and was one of the most intense storms ever in the Gulf of Mexico. Thanks to advance warnings, about 100,000 people evacuated from coastal areas before Hurricane Anita made landfall, including 35,000 in Mexico, where the storm hit as a Category 4 hurricane on Sept. 2.
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1978: Another hurricane name change
A person looks over a destroyed house surrounded by wreckage.
– Named storms: 12
– Hurricanes: 5
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 2
1978 was the last year that Atlantic tropical storms were solely given names traditionally used for women. The following year included names traditionally given to men as well.
Also in 1978, Hurricane Greta hit Central America in late September, killing four people in Belize and one person in Honduras. There was an estimated $25 million in damages to crops and utilities in Belize alone.
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1979: A new hurricane damages record
Waves crash against a boardwalk.
– Named storms: 9
– Hurricanes: 5
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 2
After a few years of relatively little damage to the U.S. during hurricane season, the tides turned in 1979. The season’s tropical storms and cyclones led to a record $3 billion in damages for the U.S., the most destructive of which was Hurricane Frederic. The September storm mainly struck Alabama and Mississippi and caused $2.3 of destruction.
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1980: Hurricane Allen prompts oil rig evacuations
Texas resort hotel destroyed by Hurricane Allen in 1980.
– Named storms: 11
– Hurricanes: 9
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 2
Hurricane Allen was the most noteworthy storm of the 1980 season, a Category 5 hurricane that affected Haiti, Texas, and several Caribbean countries. Allen destroyed two offshore oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, and 13 people died in a helicopter crash in a rig evacuation.
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1981: Five hurricanes in September
A dark street during a storm with rows of palm trees blowing in the winds.
– Named storms: 12
– Hurricanes: 7
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 3
There were no named storms in the Gulf of Mexico in 1981, an occurrence that had only happened two previous years, 1927 and 1962. The season also included five hurricanes in the month of September alone—only twice before had a single month seen that many tropical cyclones.
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1982: Least active hurricane season in 50 years
A worker in a lift bucket fixes power lines.
– Named storms: 6
– Hurricanes: 2
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 1
1982 was the least active hurricane season in 50 years based on both the total number of hurricanes and the number of days in which there were active hurricanes. Like the previous year, no hurricanes struck the contiguous U.S. in 1982, marking only the second time in the 20th century that the U.S. was spared two years in a row.
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1983: Alicia ends hurricane drought
An aerial view of many sailboats docked, with several boats crashed onto the pavement.
– Named storms: 4
– Hurricanes: 3
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 1
On Aug. 18, 1983, Hurricane Alicia brought an end to the longest period in the 20th century without a hurricane hitting the contiguous U.S. The Category 3 storm, which hit Southeast Texas, spawned 23 tornadoes, killed 21 people, and caused $2 billion in damages.
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1984: Hurricane Diana hits eastern US
Waves pushing a boat against a wall while a person on the pavement trying to cover their head from the storm.
– Named storms: 13
– Hurricanes: 5
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 1
Hurricane Diana was the first and strongest hurricane of the 1984 season and the most intense storm to hit the Eastern seaboard in three decades, since 1954’s Hurricane Hazel. Diana’s destruction totaled $65 million in the U.S., $26 million of which can be attributed to agricultural damage.
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1985: Worst season in 69 years
During a storm, three people walk over a bridge where several sailboats are docked.
– Named storms: 11
– Hurricanes: 7
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 3
The 1985 hurricane season was the worst in 69 years, causing $4.45 billion in damages and prompting a million people to evacuate. Six hurricanes and two tropical storms hit the contiguous U.S. that year, the most since 1916. The storms of 1985—most notably Hurricane Gloria and Hurricane Juan—killed 100 people in Puerto Rico, 36 in the U.S., and 10 in Cuba.
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1986: Strongest hurricane doesn’t make landfall
Three cars drive through a flooded street lined with trees.
– Named storms: 6
– Hurricanes: 4
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 0
The strongest hurricane of the 1986 season was Earl, which was also the season’s longest-lasting storm, persisting for seven days of hurricane-force winds. However, Earl never made landfall. Two hurricanes, Bonnie and Charley, did hit the U.S., causing $2 million and $15 million in damages, respectively.
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1987: Hurricane Emily breaks Caribbean silence
A man looks out over the large cloud of ocean spray from the sea.
– Named storms: 7
– Hurricanes: 3
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 1
In 1987, Hurricane Emily became the first major hurricane to hit the Caribbean Islands since 1981, an unusually long stretch for the region. At the end of September, the storm made landfall in the Dominican Republic, killing three people and causing $75 million worth of destruction.
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1988: Most destructive in Jamaica’s history
A couple surrounded by debris from a home embrace each other.
– Named storms: 12
– Hurricanes: 5
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 3
Hurricane Gilbert hit Jamaica as a Category 3 storm in mid-September 1988, the country’s first direct hit in 37 years. The hurricane damaged 95% of Jamaica’s hospitals and destroyed half of the country’s domestic water supply. In Jamaica alone, Gilbert cost $4 million in damages and became the most destructive hurricane in the nation’s history. Two days after the hit on Jamaica, Gilbert moved on to strike Mexico as a Category 5 hurricane. In total, it caused $5 billion of destruction globally.
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1989: Hurricane Hugo wipes out bananas
Exterior damage to the Holiday Inn in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina after Hurricane Hugo in September 1989.
– Named storms: 11
– Hurricanes: 7
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 2
In late September 1989, Hurricane Hugo, a Category 5 storm that was downgraded to Category 4 right before landfall, touched down in the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and South and North Carolina. The storm left 60,000 people homeless and caused upward of $10 billion in property damages, becoming the costliest hurricane in the country’s history (at least, for the next few years).
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1990: The strongest hurricane stays in the water
Waves crash into the yard of a partially submerged yellow home surrounded by slanted palm trees blowing in the wind.
– Named storms: 14
– Hurricanes: 8
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 1
Hurricane Gustav was the only Category 3 storm of the 1990 season, but it never made landfall. Tropical Storm Marco, however, did touch down in the U.S., causing seven deaths and $57 million in damages.
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1991: Storms form in Bermuda hotspot
A man uses a shovel in front of a massive uprooted tree in front of a suburban home.
– Named storms: 8
– Hurricanes: 4
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 2
Most of the major tropical storms of the 1991 season originated in a hot spot near Bermuda, but Hurricane Bob developed in the Bahamas. The storm hit New England in mid-August, taking down power for 2.1 million homes and causing $1.5 billion in damages in the region.
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1992: Hurricane Andrew destroys weather instruments
Yellow caution tape hangs from columns outside destroyed storefronts.
– Named storms: 7
– Hurricanes: 4
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 1
Hurricane Andrew, a Category 5 storm that hit South Florida in 1992, is one of the strongest and costliest hurricanes on record. Andrew’s winds flattened neighborhoods with speeds so high that they destroyed weather station instruments designed to track high wind speeds (though a privately owned instrument measured the storm’s winds at 177 mph).
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1993: Another Labor Day hurricane does less damage
A small boat crashed onto the dock of the Scott Boat Yard.
– Named storms: 8
– Hurricanes: 4
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 1
Hurricane Emily was the only major hurricane of the 1993 season. The hurricane landed in North Carolina during Labor Day weekend, like the infamous storm of 1935. Emily cost the tourism industry about $10 million, even though the Tar Heel state took many precautions. More than 160,000 people were evacuated, and there were only two casualties: a pair of swimmers who drowned in the town of Nags Head, North Carolina.
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1994: A dry September and October
A man holding a wind measuring device on a dock in extreme wind.
– Named storms: 7
– Hurricanes: 3
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 0
Although September and October are usually an active time for hurricanes, there were no storms during these months in 1994. But the season did see two hurricanes develop in November for the first time since 1980. The earliest storm of the season, Alberto, didn’t make it to hurricane status but the July storm still produced massive rainfall and floods in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida, killing 33 people.
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1995: A busy, costly hurricane season
A boat crashed into the front porch of a home surrounded by water.
– Named storms: 19
– Hurricanes: 11
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 5
An unusually active year, 1995 saw several hurricanes that caused significant damage: Hurricane Opal generated $3 billion in damages in the southeastern U.S. and Florida panhandle; Hurricane Luis cost the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean $2.5 billion, and Hurricane Marilyn did another $1.5 billion worth of damage in the Caribbean, mainly to the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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1996: Record-breaking hurricane numbers
Extreme winds hit an empty gas station.
– Named storms: 13
– Hurricanes: 9
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 6
1995 and 1996 were both active seasons with a combined total of 20 hurricanes, the most for consecutive seasons since accurate reporting began in the 1940s. In 1996, six hurricanes passed over the Caribbean—the most since 1916—though they were all short-lived.
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1997: El Niño causes inactive season
A person walks a bike along a row of extremely slanted tall, skinny trees.
– Named storms: 8
– Hurricanes: 3
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 1
After a busy 1995 and 1996, 1997 had a particularly quiet hurricane season: Only one tropical storm developed between August and September (the average is six) and no hurricanes formed in August for the first time since 1961. There were fewer hurricanes than average due to El Niño, whose winds made it difficult for hurricanes to form. Hurricane Danny was the only hurricane to make landfall in 1997, killing five people.
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1998: Hurricane Mitch triggers extreme destruction
People gather in the streets of an urban area, surrounded by wreckage as the flood waters near.
– Named storms: 14
– Hurricanes: 10
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 3
Tropical storms caused more than 9,000 fatalities during the 1998 hurricane season, primarily because of Hurricane Mitch, which caused massive flooding in Honduras and Nicaragua. Another 9,000 people went missing because of Hurricane Mitch, which became the second deadliest storm on record (behind the Great Hurricane of 1780).
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1999: A record number of Category 4 hurricanes
A small town street with destroyed buildings and debris after a storm.
– Named storms: 12
– Hurricanes: 8
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 5
The 1999 season saw five Category 4 hurricanes, the most in a single season since 1886. However, the deadliest storm that year was not a hurricane but a tropical depression. In early October, its heavy rains and flooding caused 400 fatalities in Mexico.
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2000: Long-lasting Hurricane Alberto fails to make landfall
A residential street flooded with at least a couple of feet of water.
– Named storms: 15
– Hurricanes: 8
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 3
In August 2020, Hurricane Alberto became the third longest-lasting hurricane on record in the Atlantic basin, but it remained at sea for most of its existence. Two storms did make landfall in the U.S. that year: Hurricane Gordon and Tropical Storm Helene, both in September. They were not particularly destructive stateside, though the former did wreak havoc in Guatemala.
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2001: The costliest and deadliest tropical storm in history
A stalled car on a mostly empty flooded highway near an urban area.
– Named storms: 15
– Hurricanes: 9
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 4
As of August 2024, Tropical Storm Allison is the costliest tropical storm in U.S. recorded history. It killed 41 people and caused $15.1 billion in damages (adjusted to 2024 dollars). Allison is only one of two tropical storms to have had their names retired.
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2002: El Niño tampers hurricane season again
People outside a Exxon gas station that has been badly hit by a storm.
– Named storms: 12
– Hurricanes: 4
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 2
Because of El Niño, there were fewer hurricanes than average during the 2002 season. Hurricane Lili was the only hurricane to hit the U.S. between 1999 and 2002, and it was the only storm to make landfall while still classified as a hurricane in 2002..
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2003: Hurricane Isabel slams the mid-Atlantic
Toppled over power lines on a residential tree-line street with parked cars.
– Named storms: 16
– Hurricanes: 7
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 3
Hurricane Isabel was one of the worst storms ever to hit the mid-Atlantic region, particularly affecting the Chesapeake Bay. Isabel was also the costliest and deadliest hurricane of the season, leading to 17 direct deaths and $3.3 billion in damages.
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2004: Hurricane Jeanne causes Haiti mudslides
An aerial view of a trailer park covered in wreckage.
– Named storms: 15
– Hurricanes: 9
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 6
The 2004 hurricane season was a truly devastating one, claiming 3,100 lives (the second highest number in 30 years) and causing a record $45 billion in property damage in the U.S. Four hurricanes slammed Florida within six weeks, leading the state to temporarily trade in its nickname of the Sunshine State for the Plywood State. The last of the foursome, Hurricane Jeanne, was particularly destructive, causing intense rainfalls and deadly mudslides in the mountains of Haiti.
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2005: Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans
Stalled cars and people standing on an urban street in waist-deep flood water.
– Named storms: 28
– Hurricanes: 15
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 7
Hurricane Katrina is perhaps the most infamous hurricane in U.S. history. The Category 3 hurricane displaced more than a million people and damaged over a million homes around the Gulf Coast, but New Orleans bore the brunt of the devastation. As of August 2024, Katrina is the costliest hurricane to hit the U.S., causing $200 billion (in 2024 dollars) in damage and killing 1,392 people (a number NOAA adjusted in 2023).
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2006: The calm following the storm
A flooded street near an intersection during a storm with low visibility.
– Named storms: 10
– Hurricanes: 5
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 2
After two years of frequent tropical storms, 2006 was comparatively calm, with no hurricanes making landfall in the U.S. for the first time in five years. Three tropical storms managed to do so, however, but only one in late August, Ernesto, did meaningful damage (totalling $500 million).
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2007: Two Category 5 hurricanes make landfall
A group of people walk along a beach covered in debris with large palm trees slanted.
– Named storms: 15
– Hurricanes: 6
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 2
2007 was the first hurricane season in which two Category 5 storms made landfall. Hurricane Dean was the first, slamming the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico in late August. The second was Hurricane Felix, which struck northeastern Nicaragua in early September.
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2008: Hurricane Ike disrupts Montréal’s subways
One house stands on a street that has been levelled by a storm.
– Named storms: 16
– Hurricanes: 8
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 5
The most memorable storm of 2008, Hurricane Ike, mainly impacted Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas, though its effects reached as far north as Canada. The storm caused high levels of humidity that sparked an electrical malfunction, which temporarily shut down part of Montréal’s subway system.
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2009: A hurricane lull
A kid looks out at a fishing boat that is nearly on its side near the shore.
– Named storms: 9
– Hurricanes: 3
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 2
The 2009 season had the lowest number of named storms in the Atlantic since 1997 and no hurricanes made landfall in the U.S. either. It was the 13th season with no hurricanes coming ashore in the States since 1943.
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2010: High hurricane activity returns
A man treads through ankle-deep muddy water on a flooded street with a handful of businesses.
– Named storms: 19
– Hurricanes: 12
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 5
After the quiet of 2009, the 2010 hurricane season emerged with a vengeance. The season saw the second-highest number of hurricanes (tying with 1969 and outdone only by 2005). However, it was also the only season to have more than nine hurricanes without a single one making landfall in the U.S.
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2011: Another record hurricane season
A few people standing near an in-ground pool in a suburban neighborhood that has been hit by a storm.
– Named storms: 19
– Hurricanes: 7
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 4
Like the year prior, the 2011 hurricane season also had 19 named storms; it tied with 1887, 1995, and 2010 as the third busiest tropical cyclone year in the Atlantic basin. Hurricane Irene also ended the lull the U.S. had been enjoying, marking the first time since Ike in 2008 that a hurricane made landfall in the States.
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2012: Hurricane Sandy clobbers the East Coast
A destroyed amusement park on a pier by the shore in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, with a rollercoaster partially submerged in the ocean.
– Named storms: 19
– Hurricanes: 10
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 2
2012 was the third year in a row that the U.S. had 19 named storms, but there’s one in particular that stands out. Nearly half of all U.S. states—24, to be exact—felt the effects of Hurricane Sandy in late October, but the eastern seaboard (where it made landfall in New Jersey) was hit hardest. Totaling $50 billion in damages (in 2012 dollars), it is among the costliest storms in U.S. history. Sandy also led to three feet of snowfall in West Virginia and North Carolina.
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2013: A quiet hurricane season
A meteorologist at the National Hurricane Center stands behind a desk and in front of a map on a screen.
– Named storms: 14
– Hurricanes: 2
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 0
For the first time since 1994, there were no major hurricanes in 2013. Tropical Storm Andrea was the only storm to make landfall in the U.S., touching down in Florida. The storm also caused 11 tornadoes across Florida and North Carolina, but was relatively tame in terms of its damage.
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2014: North Carolina’s earliest hurricane
Cars stopped as waves crash over the rocks and onto the road in front of them.
– Named storms: 8
– Hurricanes: 6
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 2
Making landfall on July 3, 2014, Hurricane Arthur became the earliest in-season hurricane to touch down in North Carolina on record. The storm caused no fatalities, making it the strongest hurricane to come ashore in the contiguous U.S. without resulting in any direct deaths.
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2015: Ana reveals wrecked schooner
Two people ride their bikes and one person walks down a flooded street lined with palm trees in front of a stately home.
– Named storms: 11
– Hurricanes: 4
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 2
Tropical Storm Ana became the earliest tropical cyclone on record to make landfall in the U.S. when it touched down near South Carolina on May 10. Along the beach in Surf City, North Carolina, Ana’s winds revealed parts of a sunken schooner that was wrecked nearly 100 years earlier.
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2016: A rare January hurricane
Huge storm clouds over the water.
– Named storms: 15
– Hurricanes: 7
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 4
The Atlantic hurricane season started extremely early in 2016 with January’s Hurricane Alex, the first hurricane to form in January since 1938. The storm hit the Azores, nine islands that are a part of Portugal, as a tropical storm. According to The Weather Channel, all prior hurricanes tracking near the Azores on record occurred in August or September.
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2017: Three costly hurricanes make history
An aerial view of a flooded suburban neighborhood.
– Named storms: 17
– Hurricanes: 10
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 6
Within the harrowing month of September in 2017, Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria hit the U.S. All three hurricanes were Category 4 and all three remain on the list of the 10 costliest hurricanes in U.S. history (when adjusted for 2024 dollars). Besides Katrina, Harvey is the most destructive hurricane in the nation’s recorded history, doing more than $125 billion of damage.
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2018: Hurricane Michael hits Florida Panhandle
A blue sky in the background and in the forefront, a black asphalt road with freshly painted bright yellow lines in pieces near the beach and surrounded by homes that have also been badly damaged by a storm.
– Named storms: 15
– Hurricanes: 8
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 2
With sustained winds reaching 161 miles per hour, Hurricane Michael made landfall in Florida on Oct. 10 and caused at least 45 fatalities. It was one of the most devastating storms to touch down in the area, with then-Florida Gov. Rick Scott calling Hurricane Michael “the worst storm that the Florida Panhandle has ever seen.”
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2019: Fourth year of frequent hurricanes
A blue sky with light fluffy clouds over a completely destroyed home surrounded by debris.
– Named storms: 18
– Hurricanes: 6
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 3
There were more hurricanes than average in the Atlantic during the 2019 season, the fourth year in a row that could be said. Only one other four-year period can claim that record: 1998 to 2001. There were two Category 5 storms in the 2019 season, only the second time in 12 years that happened. The first, Hurricane Dorian, did historic damage in the Bahamas, and the second, Hurricane Lorenzo, went for Ireland and the United Kingdom.
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2020: A record year for named storms
With the sun setting in the distance, only a small sliver of road is seen with the rest of the surrounding area covered in flood water.
– Named storms: 30
– Hurricanes: 14
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 7
2020 featured a record-breaking 30 named storms, marking the fifth consecutive year with more hurricanes than average in the Atlantic. It was also the second time in recorded history that the Greek alphabet was used to name storms after the initial list of 21 names was exhausted. There were 12 named storms that came ashore in the contiguous U.S., breaking 1916’s previous record of nine.
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2021: Hurricane Ida devastates Louisiana again
The Maldonado family travel by boat to their home after it flooded during Hurricane Ida on August 31, 2021, in Barataria, Louisiana.
– Named storms: 21
– Hurricanes: 7
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 4
The 2021 season started early and marked the seventh year in a row that a named storm formed before hurricane season officially began on June 1. The worst storm of all though, Hurricane Ida, hit southeastern Louisiana at Category 4 strength on Aug. 29, 16 years to the day after Hurricane Katrina slammed the same part of the state. Ida then moved up north, causing disastrous flooding and destructive tornadoes in the Northeast. With 96 deaths tied to the hurricane and $75 billion in damage, Ida was named the deadliest and most destructive tropical cyclone of the 2021 season.
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2022: Hurricane Fiona slams Puerto Rico
A child rides his bicycle at the seaside in Nagua, Dominican Republic, on September 19, 2022, as Hurricane Fiona passes through the country.
– Named storms: 14
– Hurricanes: 8
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 2
Hurricane Fiona was one of the worst storms of the 2022 season. The Category 1 hurricane wreaked havoc on Puerto Rico in mid-September, leaving much of the island without power and running water for days. The damage came only five years after Hurricane Maria caused destruction throughout the U.S. territory. Fiona then hit the Dominican Republic, Turks and Caicos, Bermuda, and eventually, Nova Scotia, becoming the costliest weather event to hit Atlantic Canada on record at the time.
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2023: Hurricane Idalia creates devastating storm surge
An airboat passes through flood waters in the downtown area after Hurricane Idalia passed offshore on August 30, 2023 in Crystal River, Florida.
– Named storms: 20
– Hurricanes: 7
– Category 3 or higher hurricanes: 3
Fueled by record-warm surface temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean and an El Niño climate pattern, 20 named storms formed in 2023. The title of worst hurricane of the year, though, went to Hurricane Idalia, which drove storm surges 7 to 12 feet above ground level in some places along the Gulf Coast. After making landfall in late August, Idalia left $3.6 billion in damages in its wake and claimed 12 lives across the U.S.
Additional writing by Cu Fleshman. Story editing by Jaimie Etkin. Copy editing by Lois Hince. Photo selection by Michael Flocker.
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