Hurricane Jeanne

Number 7 of the World's Worst Hurricanes, Hurricane Jeanne was the fifth major hurricane of the active 2004 Atlantic hurricane season, and the third hurricane to make landfall in Florida that year. Most of the hurricane damage done was suffered in the Bahamas, New Jersey, West Virginia, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Florida, and the Dominican Republic.

While not as intense as Hurricane Wilma or Katrina, Hurricane Jeanne broke several records for total fatalities. Hurricane Jeanne - Read Full Story

Hurricane Gilbert

No 8 of the World's Worst Hurricanes, Hurricane Gilbert is the second most intense hurricane ever to have been observed in the Atlantic Basin, second only behind Hurricane Wilma of the incredibly eventful 2005 Atlantic hurricane season.

Hurricane Gilbert mainly struck the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico for nearly nine full days. The duration and damages of this hurricane storm remain nearly unrivalled. Hurricane Gilbert - Read Full Story

Hurricane Frances

No 9 in the World's Worst hurricanes, the third major hurricane of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season, Hurricane Frances did the most hurricane damage after making landfall in the Gulf of Mexico and the Florida Panhandle.

Hurricane Frances is perhaps most notable for the tornado outbreak it spawned, rivalling Hurricane Beulah in this regard.
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Hurricane Dennis

No 10 in the World's Worst Hurricanes, Hurricane Dennis formed early during the incredibly active 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, and was the first major hurricane that year. In July, the hurricane wound up breaking a number of records for early hurricane activity, becoming the earliest formation of a fourth tropical cyclone, as well as the strongest Atlantic hurricane to ever have formed before August.

Dennis primarily struck Cuba, having hit the island twice as a category 4 hurricane, before making landfall on the Florida panhandle as a category 3 hurricane storm not even a full year after Florida had recovered from Hurricane Ivan. Hurricane Dennis - Read Full Story

Hurricane Charley

No 11 in the World's Worst Hurricanes, Hurricane Charley was the second major hurricane of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season, lasting from August 9th to August 15th and attaining a peak intensity at winds of 150 miles per hour, placing it in the category 4 range on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale.

Hurricane Charley made landfall on south western Florida at its peak strength, making it the strongest hurricane to make US landfall since Hurricane Andrew in 1992, twelve years before. Hurricane Charley - Read Full Story

Hurricane Andrew

Number 13 in the World's Worst Hurricanes, 1992’s Hurricane Andrew is considered to be the second most powerful and the last of three category 5 hurricanes experienced by the US during the 20th Century, after the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 and Hurricane Camille in 1969.

Hurricane Andrew struck the north western Bahamas, as well as southern Florida and south west Louisiana. Hurricane Andrew is, as of the time of this writing, the second costliest hurricane ever to make landfall in the US, coming only after Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Andrew - Read Full Story

Hurricane Alicia

No 13 of the World's Worst Hurricanes, the only major hurricane of the 1983 Atlantic hurricane season, Hurricane Alicia struck Galveston and Houston, Texas to become the worst hurricane in the state’s history since Hurricane Carla in 1961. Hurricane Alicia was also known as Texas’ first “billion dollar storm” for total property damage done. Hurricane Alicia - Read Full Story

The 1935 Labor Day Hurricane

No 14 in the World's Worst Hurricanes, the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane is considered to have been the strongest tropical cyclone of the 1935 Atlantic hurricane season. It was the first of three category 5 hurricanes endured by the United States during the 20th Century.

The storm generally affected the upper Florida Keys, as well as the north western portion of Florida. Other affected areas include Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. The 1935 Labor Day Hurricane - Read Full Story

Hurricane Hugo

15th in the world's worst hurricanes list, a destructive category 5 hurricane, Hurricane Hugo struck Guadeloupe, Montserrate, St. Croix, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, and North Carolina during the 1989 Atlantic Hurricane season.

This is the first category 5 hurricane on this list from the last few decades and is included in order to show just how far hurricane preparation technology has come. By 1989, the government was more than capable of accurately tracking hurricanes, and of warning people of their danger in mere minutes."

Hurricane Dog

No 16 in the world's worst hurricances, Hurricane Dog was, without a doubt, the most intense hurricane to occur during the 1950 Atlantic hurricane season, primarily striking Leeward Islands and was considered the most severe hurricane in Antiguan records.

The death toll of the hurricane was, thankfully, minor when compared with other hurricanes, but thousands were left homeless as a result of the storm. Hurricane Dog - Read Full Story

The 1932 Cuba Hurricane

Ranked No 17 in the world's worst hurricanes, you don’t often hear of the 1932 Cuba Hurricane in hurricane news. The hurricane damage dealt in the US was relatively minor, and the damage done is estimated at only forty million, which is dwarfed by the billions of dollars in hurricane damage wrecked by Hurricane Katrina.

However, the 1932 Cuba Hurricane was one of the deadliest hurricanes of the 20th century, and certainly the most powerful and devastating of the 1932 Atlantic hurricane season, drawing further attention to the importance of hurricane preparedness. The 1932 Cuba Hurricane - Read Full Story

1947 Fort Lauderdale Hurricane (Pompano Beach Hurricane)

At the No 19 spot in the World's Worst Hurricanes... Also known as the Pompano Beach Hurricane, the 1947 Fort Lauderdale Hurricane was one of the most intense and devastating hurricanes of the 1947 Atlantic hurricane season.

While the main area struck was, of course, Florida and specifically Fort Lauderdale, the effects of the 1947 Fort Lauderdale Hurricane were felt from the Bahamas to Louisiana, and into Mississippi. 1947 Fort Lauderdale Hurricane (Pompano Beach Hurricane) - Read Full Story

The 1932 Bahamas Hurricane

No 19 in the 20 World's Worst Hurricanes!

While the 1932 Bahamas Hurricane actually never made landfall upon the continental united states, its effects were felt, nonetheless, throughout some of Florida, and the Bahamas were hit very hard. The hurricane actually struck the Bahamas at its peak intensity, with the majority of the hurricane damage being dealt to the AbacoIslands.

The 1932 Bahamas Hurricane only claimed sixteen lives, which, while tragic, means that it was not, in fact, one of the most lethal hurricanes ever to strike. However, we include it on this list as an example of how much damage a hurricane can do to land and to property when it strikes full force, and even when you're only experiencing the peripheral effects of the storm. We are also hoping to point out just how far we've come in terms using technology to properly prepare for a hurricane. The 1932 Bahamas Hurricane - Read Full Story

Hurricane Chris

At no 20 in the world's worst hurricanes (as at 2009)

We include Hurricane Chris on this list of the world's worst hurricanes not for sheer destructive force, but simply to start off with an example that should help to prove a number of points: First, that a hurricane can strike, even during a season as relatively uneventful as the Atlantic hurricane season of 1994, second, that severity does not always equate to destruction, and third, that hurricane preparation is always important.

Hurricane Chris wound up doing far less damage than expected, thanks to a combination of hurricane tracking and preparedness, and a stroke of luck (which does, in fact, come into play when dealing with hurricanes). Hurricane Chris - Read Full Story