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tropical cyclone
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Diagram showing the anatomy of a tropical cyclone with a top view and a vertical cross section. The top view highlights the cyclone's spiral shape with a central eye and surrounding eyewall. The cross section illustrates the eye, eyewall, spiral rainbands, outflow cloud shields, and airflow patterns including spiraling winds, rotation, and descending air.
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?”
Typhoon Odessa
Satellite image showing three labeled hurricanes—Florence, Isaac, and Helene—across the Atlantic Ocean in September 2018.
Diagram showing the development and progression of a North Atlantic hurricane, from tropical disturbance near Africa, through tropical depression and storm stages, to hurricane status, then transitioning to extratropical cyclone as it moves toward Europe and North America, with labeled arrows indicating wind patterns and ocean currents. Hurricane Dennis Infographic comparing the storm surge during hurricanes Ian, Irma, and Katrina Illustration of the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale, showing five categories ranked by increasing wind speed and damage: Category 1 (74-95 mph) with minor damage, up to Category 5 (157 mph or higher) with near-total destruction. Each category is color-coded and includes simple images of houses and trees showing escalating storm damage. Count of retired hurricane names by year between 1954 and 2024. Infographic titled The ABCs of retired hurricane names, explaining how hurricane names are chosen and retired, with facts such as the number of retired names, notable examples like Arlene and Katrina, and trivia about naming conventions, all overlaid on a satellite image of a hurricane.
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Umbrella colored like a rainbow sticking out above a sea of black umbrellas while it rains. (storm, weather)
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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.
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Deadliest hurricanes in the United States

in

tropical cyclone

Also known as: cyclone, hurricane, typhoon
Written by
Joseph A. Zehnder
Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, Creighton University.
Joseph A. Zehnder
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

The deadliest hurricanes in the United States are listed in the table.

News •

Hurricanes learn hard lessons in season-opening loss to No. 1 Gators • Nov. 2, 2026, 11:18 PM ET (Miami Herald)
More storms looming for SEQ as 'extreme' heatwave hits Gulf country • Nov. 1, 2026, 3:12 PM ET (ABC News (Australia))
India evacuates tens of thousands as Cyclone Arnab makes landfall • Oct. 28, 2026, 12:23 AM ET (Euronews)
Vance intensifies rapidly and could become a major Category 3 hurricane off Mexico's Pacific Coast • Oct. 23, 2026, 11:08 PM ET (AP)
Typhoon Champi strengthens to Category 5 but moves away from land; Trudy weakens • Oct. 19, 2026, 5:29 AM ET (AP)
Deadliest hurricanes in the U.S.1
rank hurricane location (and name, if any) year category deaths
1Includes U.S. territories.
2Death toll may have been as high as 12,000.
3Death toll may have been more than 4,600.
4Death toll may have been as high as 3,000.
5Includes those lost at sea.
6Death toll may have been as high as 2,000.
Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
1 Galveston, Texas 1900 4 8,0002
2 Puerto Rico (San Ciriaco Hurricane) 1899 4 3,400
3 Puerto Rico (Hurricane Maria) 2017 4 2,9753
4 Lake Okeechobee, Florida 1928 4 2,5004
5 Chenière Caminada, Louisiana 1893 4 2,0005
6 southeastern Louisiana; southeastern Florida; Mississippi (Hurricane Katrina) 2005 3 1,400 
7 Sea Islands, South Carolina and Georgia 1893 3 1,0006
 8 Georgia; South Carolina 1881 2 700
 9 New England 1938 3 6005
 9 Florida Keys; southern Texas 1919 4 6005
 11 southwestern Louisiana; northern Texas (Hurricane Audrey) 1957 4 416 
12 Florida Keys 1935 5 408
13 Last Island, Louisiana 1856 4 400
14 Florida; Mississippi; Alabama 1926 4 372
15 Grand Isle, Louisiana 1909 3 350
16 New Orleans, Louisiana 1915 4 2755
17 Galveston, Texas 1915 4 275
18 Mississippi; southeastern Louisiana; Virginia (Hurricane Camille) 1969 5 256
19 Florida, southeastern U.S. (Hurricane Helene) 2024 4 252
20 northeastern U.S. (Hurricane Diane) 1955 1 184
21 Georgia; South Carolina; North Carolina 1898 4 179
22 Texas 1875 3 176
23 southeastern Florida 1906 3 164
24 Florida; North Carolina; South Carolina (Hurricane Ian) 2022 4 156
25 Texas (Hurricane Indianola) 1886 4 150
26 Mississippi; Alabama; northwestern Florida 1906 2 134
27 Florida; Georgia; South Carolina 1896 3 130
28 northeastern U.S. (Hurricane Sandy) 2012 1 125
29 Florida; northeastern U.S. (Hurricane Agnes) 1972 1 122