Hurricane History

Historic Hurricanes

Hurricane Wilma

Wilma, left, had the lowest central pressure on record, 882 millibars on Oct. 19, 2005, and was thus the most intense hurricane ever. Tropical Storm Alpha, right, was the 22nd named storm of the year -- a record. There were five more after that.

Hurricane Katrina

This aerial view of New Orleans was taken Aug. 30, 2005, the day after Katrina came through as a Category 3 hurricane. It was the deadliest hurricane to strike the United States since 1928, killing some 1,200 people. It was also the costliest ever, producing $75 billion worth of damage.
Interactive Katrina Map

Hurricane Jeanne

The northern Haitian city of Gonaives was flooded Sept. 19, 2004, after Jeanne passed through. Rains from Jeanne caused deadly flash floods and mudslides in Haiti, where over 3,000 people lost their lives and roughly 200,000 were left homeless.

Hurricane Charley

A tree worker walks past a downed banyon tree in the front yard of a Punta Gorda, Fla. home Aug. 16, 2004. Thousands were left homeless and 16 people were killed when Hurricane Charley left a path of destruction across before it moved north and struck the Carolinas.

Hurricane Isabel

Kayakers paddle along the roads of the historic waterfront of Annapolis, Md., following Isabel, Sept. 19, 2003. As much as four feet of water flooded the capital city. Isabel was the worst hurricane to hit the Chesapeake Bay region since 1933.

Hurricane Floyd

A 50 foot section of the Daytona Beach, Fla. pier drifts off after winds and heavy surf caused by Hurricane Floyd tore it off, Sept. 15, 1999. Thousands of Florida residents were without power, but the state escaped the worst as Floyd swung northward. Other states were hit harder -- Floyd combined with another storm system over the eastern United States to drop more than 10 inches of rain in much of the region.

Hurricane Mitch

People stand in a house surrounded by water in the region in Honduras, Nov. 3, 1998. Many communities were isolated by flooding after Hurricane Mitch dropped rain relentlessly. Severe floods in Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador caused an estimated 9,000 deaths, with another 9,000 missing.

Hurricane Andrew

This water tower, a landmark at Florida City, stood over the ruins of a Florida coastal community hit by the force of Hurricane Andrew, August 25, 1992. The storm caused $26.5 billion in damage in the United States, of which $1 billion occurred in Louisiana and the rest in south Florida. The vast majority of the damage in Florida was due to the winds.

Hurricane Gilbert

The enormous waves caused by Gilbert brought this yacht up onto the beach in Cancun, Mexico, in September 1988. Gilbert held the record for the most intense hurricane, with a low central pressure of 888 millibars, until Hurricane Wilma in 2005.

Hurricane Camille

Fishing boats were dashed against the land when Camille ripped through the Gulf Coast in August 1969. Camille is one of the few Category 5 hurricanes to make landfall in the United States. Wind speeds were estimated at 200 mph near the coast, where the hurricane destroyed all wind-measuring instruments.

The Great Miami Hurricane

The storm blew this car against side of building on North East First Street in Miami, Sept. 18, 1926. Every building in the downtown district of Miami was damaged or destroyed.

Galveston Hurricane

Men use ropes to pull away debris from houses in order to look for bodies after the Galveston Hurricane of Sept. 8, 1900. This hurricane was the deadliest weather disaster in U.S. history, causing 8,000 deaths.

More From R&L

Get more information on hurricanes and other natural disasters from R&L planet earth.
- Hurricane Quiz
- Hurricane Katrina
- Natural Disasters