What was the the worst hurricane ever?

Answer 1

The worst storm to be actually called a hurricane was the Great Hurricane of 1780 with over 22,000 deaths. The worst tropical cyclone (hurricane, typhoon etc.) on record was the Bhola Cyclone of 1970 with over 300,000 deaths.

Answer 2

There are different ways to define the "worst hurricane".

Hurricane Katrina, which hit the USA in 2005, caused the largest amount of damage in monetary terms, with the cost amounting to $81.2 billion in 2005 figures.

The most intense hurricane in terms of pressure was Hurricane Wilma, in 2005. Wilma reached wind speeds of 175 mph, or 295 kph, and caused $29.1 billion USD in 2005 figures. The minimum pressure pressure was 882 millibars at one point.

The strongest hurricane in terms of wind speed was Hurricane Allen in 1980 with sustained winds of 190 mph (305 km/h). The storm killed 269 people and cost $1.64 billion.

However, the worst hurricane to hit the USA, in terms of death toll, was the one that hit Galveston in 1900. The closest official estimate for the total deaths is around 8,000, but unofficial estimates suggest the toll could have been as high as 12,000.

A lesser-known, unnamed hurricane in 1780 caused the highest death toll ever (not counting typhoons, which are cyclones or hurricanes found in Asian waters). The Great Hurricane of 1780 hit Barbados first on 10 October 1780. 4,000 people were killed on the first day. In the next three days, the Caribbean islands of Martinique and St Eustatius were also hit. Being the middle of the American Revolution, many, many naval personnel were killed when American, British and French fleets were destroyed. It is estimated that around 22,000 people in total died, although the figure could be as high as 30,000.

The worst tropical storm ever (strictly speaking, not a hurricane because it occurred in Asian seas) was the 1970 Bhola Cyclone which killed over 300,000 people in the Ganges Delta region of East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, on 30 November 1970.

Answer 3

Hurricane-Typhoon facts!?: An excellent general over view of hurricane facts and history can be obtained from Hurricane Facts ( http://www.hurricaneville.com/facts.html ) and Hurricane History ( http://www.hurricaneville.com/historic.html ) This material can serve as a great starting resource for exploring hurricane history. The facts themselves are questionable the further back in time you travel. Sophisticated storm tracking and measurements are relatively new, developed in the 1940's and 50's, but these Great Storms have been written about in history on countless occasions. Since they represent a class of natural disaster that often has large costs in life and damage, they have been associated with mythological powers, gods striking us down for some impropriety, and even characterized as apocalyptic events. They clearly effect business from national to local levels and have potent effects on politics. They have changed the balance of power on the oceans from Spain to England when one such storm sunk the entire Spanish armada. Another, cited below because of its death toll, redrew national boundaries giving rise to the birth of Bangladesh. Perhaps earthquakes and tsunamis are the only other frequently recurring natural disasters that can claim such status and to a much lesser extent, volcanism (though all three may be related to each other as often as they may be thought of as individual events). Geographically these storms do damage to coastal areas for the most part, though inland breeches have all to often been devastating. The Largest part of human activity is built on or near coastal areas or along main rivers leading to oceans where storm surge lends to the increased risk of human life. A search of the web will yield many tidbits of information, "facts" and "figures" but there is often controversy even reported between experts in the field. Below are excerpts from a variety of Hurricane sources, "Wikipedias" and weather websites summarized. With respect to the question of which was the most powerful of these storms, there is only one proper answer that is not arguable. A Category Five storm is the worst. There have been several of record. These are storms with sustained winds greater than 155 mile per hour and a minimum central pressure of less than 920 millibars or 27.17 inches of Hg.according to the widely accepted Saffir-Simpson Scale. Only three such storms have made land fall in the US. Which was the worst storm otherwise needs to be a qualified answer as to what is the measure of the storms influence. Below are the most damaging according to real dollar value damages and separately, with respect to loss of human life.
Costliest hurricane to United States in actual dollarsHurricane Andrew--This is probably the most recent memorable hurricanes in modern history. After struggling to develop in the Atlantic, this Category Five Hurricane rapidly developed over the Gulf Stream, and devastated South Florida with 165 mph winds on August 24, 1992. It was the costliest natural disaster on record with some $30 billion dollars in damage. = Number 2 = Hurricane Hugo--This Category Four Hurricane at landfall, carved a path from the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean to Charleston, South Carolina in September, 1989. At one point in its lifetime, Hugo reached Category Five intensity with 160 mph winds, and a minimum central pressure of 27.11 inches of Hg. Rapidly intensifying over the Gulf Stream, it came ashore in South Carolina with 135 mph winds. This storm ranks currently second all time in terms of estimated damage at $7 billion dollars. = Greatest number of human casualties in the United States = Galveston Hurricane of 1900--The deadliest natural disaster in United States History, this Category Four Hurricane moved through Cuba into the Gulf of Mexico before slamming ashore in Galveston, Texas on September 8, 1900 killing 6,000 people. = Greatest number of human casualties in the world = The 1970 Bhola cyclone was a devastating tropical cyclone that struck East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and India's West Bengal on November 12, 1970. It was the deadliest tropical cyclone ever recorded, and one of the deadliest natural disasters in modern times. Up to 500,000 people lost their lives in the storm. Respectfully submitted by Charles Smutny

Answer 4

The largest tropical cyclone (generic term for hurricane, typhoon, etc) was Typhoon Tip in 1970 with a gale diameter of 1350 miles.

Answer 5

Hurricane Katrina

Answer 6

katrina