Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Hurricane Katrina
References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images, Videos & Interactives
Five hands on a concrete wall; above a torn edge are scenes of outdoor dining, floodwater, and a crowded street; text reads “Who gets to move on?”
Satellite image of Hurricane Katrina as a large, well-defined spiral with a clear eye over the Gulf of Mexico, approaching the southern United States coastline. Infographic showing Hurricane Katrina's path from its formation over the Bahamas to landfall in Florida and Louisiana, with a curved track across the southeastern U.S. It highlights nearly 1,400 lives lost, about $125 billion in damages, 62 tornadoes in 8 states, and a maximum storm surge of 26 to 28 feet in Mississippi. Flooded areas of New Orleans and storm categories at each location are also illustrated. Hurricane Katrina View from inside Hurricane Katrina's eye wall, showing a ring of dense, towering white clouds with blue sky visible above the storm. Aerial view of flooded homes and scattered debris surrounded by water and trees after Hurricane Katrina in Port Sulphur, Louisiana. Trees destroyed by Hurricane Katrina Infographic comparing the storm surge during hurricanes Ian, Irma, and Katrina Hurricane Katrina New Orleans, Louisiana, before and after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
At a Glance
Satellite image of Hurricane Katrina as a large, well-defined spiral with a clear eye over the Gulf of Mexico, approaching the southern United States coastline.
Hurricane Katrina summary
Quizzes
Warm water fuels Hurricane Katrina. This image depicts a 3-day average of actual dea surface temperatures for the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, from August 25-27, 2005.
Disasters of Historic Proportion
Related Questions
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

Hurricane Katrina

storm [2005]
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
Last updated
•History

Hurricane Katrina, catastrophic tropical cyclone that struck the southeastern United States in late August 2005. The hurricane and its aftermath claimed nearly 1,400 lives, and it ranked as the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. Some two decades after the hurricane, the lingering effects of Katrina continue to influence the economy and culture of the Gulf Coast. The weather system that would later become Hurricane Katrina emerged on August 23, 2005, as a tropical depression...

Discover the world with Britannica

Subscribe to Continue Reading

Free Trial | No Ads | Exclusive Content
Explore Subscriptions
DNA
Right
Mobile