Source: CARIBBEAN SEA – SEPTEMBER 26: In this NASA handout image taken from the International Space Station, Hurricane Ian moves through the Caribbean Sea on September 26, 2022 just south of Cuba. The storm is expected to bring a potentially life-threatening storm surge and hurricane-force winds.
2025’s Atlantic hurricane season isn’t over yet, as Hurricane Melissa has surged to a Category 5 and is barreling toward Jamaica. This hurricane could be potentially devastating to the island nation.
Throughout the past two centuries, hurricanes have reshaped coastlines, wiped out cities and left lasting scars on the nation’s memory. From the Great Galveston Hurricane of 1900 to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, each storm has carried its own tragic story of destruction, resilience and recovery.
As Melissa grows stronger and communities brace for impact, it’s worth looking back at the storms that defined the Atlantic’s most dangerous hurricane seasons. Here are 12 of the deadliest hurricanes in U.S. history — and the devastating legacies they left behind.
12. Hurricane Audrey (June 27, 1957)
Source: A group of people begin the grim task of identifying those killed when hurricane Audrey swept through this small coastal town in Cameron, Louisiana, on June 29, 1957. (AP Photo/Randy Taylor)
Strength: Category 3
Fatalities: 416
Damage: $1.71 billion (2025 USD)
About: Striking near Rockefeller Refuge in Louisiana on June 27, 1957, this Category 3 hurricane killed about 416 people with a rapid storm surge and high winds
11. 1935 Labor Day Hurricane (Sept. 2, 1935)
Strength: Category 5
Fatalities: 423
Damage: $2.37 billion (2025 USD)
About: Making landfall in the Florida Keys as a Category 5 on Sept. 2, 1935, this storm killed around 408 U.S. military veterans and local residents.
10. Georgia Hurricane (Aug. 27–29, 1881)
Strength: Category 2
Fatalities: Around 700
Damage: $62.8 million (2025 USD)
About: Making landfall near Savannah as a Category 2 storm, the 1881 Georgia hurricane caused catastrophic flooding along the coast and surrounding islands. About 700 people were killed, many of them in low-lying communities that were quickly overwhelmed by storm surge. The hurricane destroyed crops, sank ships and remains one of the deadliest storms to ever hit the southeastern United States.
9. Florida Keys Hurricane (Sept. 2–14, 1919)
Strength: Category 4
Fatalities: Around 772
Damage: $408.5 million (2025 USD)
About: This Category 4 storm tore through the Florida Keys before slamming into Corpus Christi, Texas, with catastrophic winds and a storm surge topping 16 feet. An estimated 772 people were killed across its path, including hundreds lost at sea. The hurricane destroyed homes, ships and much of downtown Corpus Christi, prompting the city to construct its protective seawall.
About: The first of two catastrophic storms to devastate the Texas port city of Indianola, this Category 3 hurricane brought storm surges estimated up to 15 feet, flattening nearly every structure and killing more than 300 people. Once a thriving Gulf shipping hub, Indianola never fully recovered. When a second hurricane struck in 1886, the town was abandoned entirely — a haunting reminder of Texas’ early hurricane vulnerability.
7. Hurricane Katrina (Aug. 29, 2005)
Source: The Superdome, where thousands of people stayed while waiting to be evacuated after Hurricane Katrina hit, is seen September 11, 2005 in downtown New Orleans, Louisiana. Katrina devastated large parts of New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast August 29, 2005. (Jerry Grayson/Helifilms Australia PTY Ltd/Getty Images) / Getty
Strength: Category 5
Fatalities: 1,392
Damage: $190-200 billion (2025 USD)
About: Striking near New Orleans as a weakened Category 3, Katrina’s failure of levees and massive flooding claimed nearly 1,400 lives and forced a national reckoning on preparedness and coastal infrastructure.
6. Sea Islands Hurricane (August 1893)
Strength: Category 3
Fatalities: 1,000 – 2,000
Damage: $36 million (2025 USD)
About: A deadly storm made landfall along Georgia and South Carolina’s coast, killing roughly 1,000 people—many of them on the low-lying Sea Islands—and devastating plantations and rice-fields.
5. Chenière Caminada Hurricane (October 1893)
Strength: Category 4
Fatalities: At least 2,000
Damage: $179 million (2025 USD)
About: Striking southeastern Louisiana as a Category 4, it swept away the fishing village of Chenière Caminada and killed around 1,000–1,400 residents, exposing the region’s vulnerability to storm surge.
4. Hurricane Maria (Sept. 20, 2017)
Source: Kids bike in an area without grid power or running water about two weeks after Hurricane Maria swept through the island on October 5, 2017 in San Isidro, Puerto Rico. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
About: Maria hit Puerto Rico hardest, as this Category 5 hurricane (Category 4 when in hit Puerto Rico) caused approximately 2,975 deaths in the U.S. territory and shattered its power grid and economy.
3. San Ciriaco Hurricane (Aug. 3–Sept. 4, 1899)
Strength: Category 4
Fatalities: Around 3,855
Damage: $778.4 million (2025 USD)
About: One of the longest-lasting Atlantic hurricanes on record, San Ciriaco ravaged Puerto Rico as a Category 4 storm, killing an estimated 3,855 people and leaving the island devastated for months. It then swept across the Bahamas and up the U.S. East Coast, causing additional deaths and destruction. The storm’s duration and widespread impact make it one of the deadliest and most destructive hurricanes in Atlantic history.
2. Lake Okeechobee Hurricane (Sept. 17, 1928)
Source: This photo supplied by the National Weather Service shows the flooded town of Pahokee, Fla., following a Sept. 16, 1928 hurricane. (AP Photo/National Weather Service)
Strength: Category 5
Fatalities: At least 4,114
Damage: $1.89 billion (2025 USD)
About: This Category 5 storm exploded across Puerto Rico and Florida, then caused Lake Okeechobee to overflow, flooding towns and claiming at least 4,114 lives.
1. Galveston Hurricane (Sept. 8, 1900)
Source: In this September 1900 file photo, a large part of the city of Galveston, Texas, is reduced to rubble after being hit by a surprise hurricane Sept. 8, 1900. (AP Photo/File)
Strength: Category 4
Fatalities: 6,000 – 12,000
Damage: $1.33 billion (2025 USD)
About: A Category 4 hurricane smashed into Galveston, Texas, sending a storm surge of up to 15 feet and killing between 6,000 and 12,000 residents. The disaster wiped out nearly half the city’s homes and remains the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history.
