Alabama has been pummeled by several so-called ‘super outbreaks’ over the past century, but the series of tornadoes that hit on March 21, 1932, remain the worst in terms of the death toll and the sheer scope of the damage that occurred in a single day. The official death toll is 286, though many believe it could be far higher. Thousands were left homeless and close to 2,000 were injured in the severe storms. Many towns and homesteads were completely leveled, while eyewitnesses reported seeing cars flung through the air and cabins blown away.
Powerful seas pounded the western coastline of Alaska on September 17, 2022, after an extratropical storm whipped in across the Pacific Ocean, prompting a federal disaster declaration. Waves reached up to 54 feet (16m) and winds were 75 knots (86 miles per hour or 138km/h) during what was the region’s strongest storm in more than half a century. The flooding and strong winds caused by Typhoon Merbok mostly affected the area’s Indigenous coastal communities, destroying houses, roads, and upturning boats and vehicles.
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Arizona and the American West recently experienced the most extreme megadrought in at least 1,200 years, according to scientists. A megadrought is defined as a prolonged period of dryness that spans more than two decades. In 2022, the region suffered its driest 22-year period in knowable history; a problem exacerbated by climate change. According to the US drought monitor, nearly 65% of the West was in severe drought in 2022. The country’s largest reservoirs – Lake Mead and Lake Powell (which both lie across Arizona's borders) – reached record-low levels in the summer of 2021.
Entire towns were submerged when the waters of the mighty Mississippi overflowed in April 1927, an event that led to one of the worst natural disasters in US history. More than 250 people died – around half of those were in Arkansas. Hundreds of thousands were displaced from their homes and more than 23,000 square miles of land (59,600sq km) were submerged in the flood. Arkansas City (pictured) was among the places to be badly hit.
The Camp Fire, which raged in northern California in 2018, is the deadliest wildfire in the state by some margin, killing 85 people. The wildfires in 2020, however, surpassed the record for the sheer acreage affected twice over, with more than four million acres scorched. The year 2020 also saw five of the six largest fires since records began in 1932 – and the first ‘gigafire,’ covering more than a million acres, in modern history. More than 30 people died in the blazes. Meanwhile, the 2021 Dixie Fire was California's largest single source wildfire in recorded history, and the most expensive wildfire to fight in US history, costing $637.4 million to suppress.
Relentlessly heavy rainfall was the culprit in what’s considered the biggest natural disaster to hit Colorado. This flood in July 1976 was the most powerful in thousands of years, killing at least 144 people (a further five went missing) and injuring 250-plus. A year’s worth of rain pummeled down in around an hour – an estimated 12 inches (30cm) over two days – and proved catastrophic because it was funneled within the narrow walls of Big Thompson Canyon. It destroyed the popular recreation area and tore homes from their foundations.
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Connecticut’s coastline was devastated by this 1938 hurricane, one of the most intense storms ever to hit southern New England. Battering the state with 115-miles-per-hour (185km/h) winds and sparking fires from overhead power lines, it wiped out homes, bridges, railroads, trees, and crops and caused record tides up to 18 feet (5m) high. The impact of the storm and subsequent flooding tore apart coastal communities and caused catastrophic damage to fishing fleets. A total of 564 people died across New England, with 85 in Connecticut alone. The town of New London (pictured) was among the hardest hit.
A huge blizzard battered Delaware for three days in late January 2016, impacting the lives of an estimated 103 million people. It was graded as a Category 4 winter storm and has been named the sixth-most severe storm on record for the Northeast. But the storm’s real significance was in the serious coastal flooding and beach erosion it caused. It took a huge bite out of the Delaware coastline, leaving the area vulnerable to future storm surges.
That this blizzard is widely known as ‘Snowmageddon’ gives a clue as to its significance in the capital, with everything from monuments to the White House getting blanketed in the whiteout. It hit between February 5-6, 2010, dumping nearly 18 inches (46cm) of snow on DC. It also caused the US Postal Service to be interrupted for the first time in three decades and set a new record at Dulles Airport, where 32 inches (81cm) of snow fell. The area was hit by a second blizzard – known as ‘Snoverkill’ – five days later in what became Washington DC’s snowiest winter on record.
A twin threat of storms converged in Gainesville on April 6, 1936, killing 203 people, injuring 1,600, and tearing apart full blocks of the mountain town in northern Georgia. Around 750 houses were destroyed and other buildings were left in splintered tatters, which workers under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) employment scheme – part of efforts to pull the country out of the Great Depression – were drafted in to clear.
Over the course of two days in August 2023, around 80% of the town of Lahaina, on the northwest coast of Maui, was destroyed by a wildfire that raged amid dry and windy conditions exacerbated by Hurricane Dora. At least 101 people were killed. Hawaii Governor Josh Green said the fires represented the "largest natural disaster in Hawaii state history." The fire incinerated thousands of homes and historic structures, with the Pacific Disaster Center estimating damages at $5.52 billion. “It’s all gone,” Maui's Mayor Richard Bissen said of Lahaina in the immediate aftermath. “None of it’s there. It’s all burnt to the ground."
In December 1983 and January 1984, the town of Salmon experienced extreme cold weather that caused two ice jams – formed by a build-up of ice that blocked the river’s flow, resulting in flooding – where the Salmon and Lemhi rivers meet. By mid-January, one ice jam stretched for 30 miles (48km) along the Salmon River and broke, flooding the town with frigid, ice-strewn water. According to the Idaho Office of Emergency Management, some residents had nearly three feet (1m) of ice inside their homes and five feet (1.5m) outside. It was declared a state disaster.
The Tri-State Tornado of March 18 was the deadliest in US history, killing 695 people in total as it beat a course from southeastern Missouri through southern Illinois and into southwestern Indiana. More than 600 of those deaths were in Illinois, with the tornado destroying whole towns and farms and leaving thousands homeless. The tornado, which traveled a total of more than 219 miles (352km), would be classified as an EF5 today with winds hitting speeds over 300 miles per hour (483km/h).
This Easter Sunday flood remains the worst for most parts of Indiana and one of the most devastating US disasters of all time. More than 100 people died and an estimated 7% of the state's population was left homeless as waters rose at the end of March 1913. Damages were estimated in the hundreds of millions of dollars at the time – billions today – with infrastructure left in ruins and many, especially in rural areas, cut off from the outside world for several days. Pictured here is a flooded roller coaster, probably in Riverside Park, Indianapolis.
On August 10, 2020, a powerful derecho (a fast-moving, violent windstorm that moves in a straight line) started near the South Dakota-Nebraska border and went on to become the costliest thunderstorm in US history, according to The Washington Post. The storm traveled across multiple states (Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio) with winds peaking at 140 miles per hour (225km/h) in Iowa. Cedar Rapids suffered a major power outage, millions of acres of crops were devastated, trees were felled, and many homes were severely damaged or destroyed. These huge grain bins (pictured) were crushed by the force of the winds. NOAA estimated the damage at $7.5 billion.
The Sunflower State set a new heat record in July 1936, hitting 121°F on two occasions. It’s still the hottest temperature ever recorded in the state and was the uncomfortable zenith of a decade that had seen extreme heatwaves and drought across the Great Plains, a period that became known as the Dust Bowl. Giant clouds of dust wrecked crops, killed cattle, and changed the entire landscape of the region. It’s thought that the total death toll reached the thousands.
More than 100 people died as a result of the tornado – known as the Louisville Cyclone – that hit Louisville on March 27, 1890, in one of the state’s most devastating natural disasters. Multistory buildings including the City Hall collapsed, some with people still inside. Churches, railroad depots, schools, warehouses, and hundreds of homes were ripped apart by the storm, which one newspaper dubbed “The Whirling Tiger of the Air."
The state – and particularly New Orleans – was battered by Hurricane Katrina when it hit as a Category 3 storm in August 2005. An estimated 1,500 people were killed in Louisiana, plus billions of dollars' worth of damage done. Much of the worst devastation occurred in the aftermath, when the city’s levees failed, flooding 80% of the city. Many homes were destroyed and people fled the city, with some never returning.
The worst windstorm ever to be recorded in Maine hit on October 30, 2017. Trees and power lines were blown over, and local news outlets reported that almost 500,000 people were left without power – some for more than a week. The windstorm remains the most devastating in the area to date. Heavy rains and wind speeds of up to 60 miles per hour (97km/h) contributed to its intensity.
Hurricane Sandy made landfall just north of Maryland on October 29, but its huge size meant its effects were felt across the state. With sustained 60-miles-per-hour winds (97km/h), heavy rain, and storm surge along coastal areas including Ocean City (pictured), Hurricane Sandy was the deadliest tropical cyclone to hit the state, causing 11 deaths. Clean-up costs came in at a huge $73.5 billion.
This devastating hurricane, which also caused serious damage in Connecticut and New York, reached its fastest recorded speeds in Massachusetts, with 186 miles per hour (299km/h) registered at Blue Hill Observatory – the strongest ever in the New England region. A total of 564 people died, close to 9,000 buildings were destroyed and a further 15,000 were damaged by the storm. In Massachusetts, tens of thousands of boats were destroyed or severely damaged, tides surged up to 25 feet (8m) and parts of the state were submerged by eight feet (2.4m) of water.
Also known as the ‘Big Blow’ or the ‘White Hurricane’ due to its blizzard-like qualities, the Great Lakes Storm is among the deadliest natural disasters in US history. It battered the Great Lakes Basin between November 7-10, 1913, with gusts up to 90 miles per hour (145km/h) and 35-foot-tall (11m) waves. Around 12 ships sank and dozens of others were wrecked, as were the docks' life-saving stations such as this one, pictured, in Pointe aux Barques. The storm is estimated to have killed up to 300 people – a higher number than all the other major Great Lakes disasters combined.
A crippling cold wave moved over Minnesota in January 2019, plunging temperatures to lower than Antarctica and wreaking havoc across the area. The arctic outbreak lasted around five days and brought with it some of the lowest air temperatures in Minnesota since the 1990s. The coldest temperatures were recorded on the morning of January 31 when the town of Cotton plunged to -56ºF, according to the National Weather Service.
Mississippi was whacked with its deadliest tornado in over 50 years on March 24, 2023, with the violent storm killing at least 25 people and decimating the small town of Rolling Fork to the west of the state. Rated a four on the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale, the tornado had wind speeds of up to 170 miles per hour (274km/h) and covered a distance of almost 60 miles (97km) northeast, lasting for more than an hour. There were also severe storms in Alabama and Tennessee.
Much of the central portion of St Louis was devastated on May 27, 1896, as this tornado ripped through block after block of residential housing, uprooting trees and throwing them several blocks. The tornado was on the ground for less than half an hour but remains the third-deadliest in US history. It tracked a three-mile-wide (4.8km) path, killing 255 people and injuring 1,000 in Missouri and Illinois. Wind speeds reached up to 260 miles per hour (418km/h).
Rains pounded Montana’s snowy mountains from June 7-8, 1964, resulting in the worst flood on record in the state's history. It was so severe that it led to the evacuation of some 8,700 people. The whole Flathead Valley was affected but it was the Blackfeet Reservation, pictured here, that suffered the worst. All but one of the 31 deaths were here, with many of those who died being children. Homes were flattened. Overall damage totaled $62 million – the equivalent of $474 million today.
One of the most devastating storms in US history, the Easter Sunday tornado rattled through Nebraska on March 23, 1913. The tornado whipped across 40 miles (64km) in just 35 minutes. In the latter part of the afternoon, the tornado headed for Omaha – where it arrived without warning and disappeared again in a matter of seconds. It devastated a 4.5-mile (7.2km) stretch of the area, leaving 103 people dead in Omaha, with a death toll of nearly 150.
Nevada has suffered some severe flooding, as this photo of Las Vegas in 1983 shows. One of the worst weather events in the Silver State occurred in January 1862, when weeks of heavy rains and snow broke records and contributed to historic floods. The flood was the largest on record for Nevada, Oregon, and California. This vast flooding – possibly a once-in-500-years event – left swathes of several states unlivable until the summer months. It's thought to have caused $725 billion of damage at today’s prices.
On April 12, 1934, the highest surface wind measured anywhere on Earth was recorded by staff of the Mount Washington Observatory (pictured). They hit a staggering 231 miles per hour (372km/h). Mount Washington, or Agiocochook, has long been known to harbor some intense weather conditions, experiencing hurricane-force (above 73 miles per hour or 117km/h) winds on more than 100 days per year. The record was broken by Tropical Cyclone Olivia in 1996.
Hurricane Sandy battered parts of the Caribbean and swept through 24 states in October and November 2012. It was responsible for around 150 deaths in total and caused an estimated $70.2 billion in damage. By the time it hit New Jersey, so-called ‘Superstorm’ Sandy had reached wind speeds of 80 miles per hour (129km/h). It tore through homes and ripped up boardwalks along the Jersey Shore, wrecking amusement parks like that at Seaside Heights, pictured in the aftermath.
The winter of 1967 saw infamous blizzards across the Midwest, with Chicago experiencing its largest snowfall ever. The extreme cold spell even reached New Mexico, with the usually sunny Santa Fe (pictured) blanketed under five feet (1.5m) of snow. The remote Navajo Nation bore the brunt of the blizzard and vital supplies had to be airlifted to residents here. The death toll was thought to be at least 51 people, all from the surrounding area.
March 1888 saw one of the most severe blizzards in history, killing more than 400 people in the northeast. New York and New Jersey were hardest hit, with parts buried under up to 40 inches (102cm) of snow. New York City itself was engulfed by 22 inches (56cm) of snow in what became known as the ‘Great White Hurricane.’ The combination of heavy snow, strong winds and extreme cold temperatures meant this winter storm affected by far the most people. Across 10 states, about a quarter of the population of 19th-century America felt the effects.
This is Hurricane Florence as seen from the International Space Station. The image was taken by an astronaut called Ricky Arnold as the hurricane gained strength in the Atlantic moving west. It was another three days before Florence hit land in North Carolina. When it did, it caused a record-breaking storm surge of nine to 13 feet (2.7m to 4m), catastrophic flooding due to rainfall of up to 2.5 feet (0.8m), and extensive wind damage along the North Carolina coast. The flooding caused 42 deaths, more than half in vehicles. The total damage from Florence in North Carolina was a whopping $24.2 billion.
One of the Red River’s most serious flooding incidents since 1826, the 1997 flood has been likened to a slow-moving apocalypse. It hit the city of Grand Forks the hardest, and the devastation was worsened by a fire that began at the same time. Downtown buildings burned on flooded streets. Ravaged by flames and floodwaters, a significant part of Grand Forks’ central area suffered damage, more than 50,000 people were displaced, and few homes were unscathed. Flood prevention efforts have since been put in place.
It’s estimated that more than 1,000 people died in the Great Flood of March 1913, making it the country’s second deadliest after the 1889 Johnstown Flood of Pennsylvania, in which more than 2,200 people lost their lives. Ohio was arguably hit hardest with a total of around 400 deaths. The city of Dayton was submerged by 20 feet (6m) of water, houses were torn from their foundations and severed gas lines sparked fires that set entire blocks ablaze. The business district of Hamilton, pictured, was also severely flooded.
Oklahoma City is part of the US's Tornado Alley, so-named because the storms hit so frequently. The tornado that struck the city of Woodward on April 9, 1947, is the deadliest in the state’s history. It killed at least 116 people and injured around 1,000 more. Woodward was hit with little warning, with 100 blocks of the city – including a diner called the Oasis (pictured) – getting leveled. Several of its customers were injured.
The Willamette River reached its highest ever level in June 1894, fed by heavy rains and snowmelt. The river reached a high watermark of more than 33 feet (10m) and water soon poured into downtown Portland, flooding businesses and destroying infrastructure. The disaster, exacerbated by similar flooding on the Columbia River, finally led to serious flood-control measures being undertaken in the city.
The death toll alone – with 2,209 people killed – makes the Johnstown flood of May 31, 1889, one of the biggest natural disasters across the US. The flood was caused when the South Fork Dam failed due to torrential rainfall, causing around three billion gallons of water to flow in Johnstown's direction. Buildings were crushed, nearly 100 entire families were wiped out, and more than 750 victims were never identified. They’re buried in a dedicated Plot of the Unknown in the town’s Grandview Cemetery.
Hitting southern New England on September 21, 1938, this hurricane has gone down in history as one of the most powerful in the region – and Narragansett Bay, in Rhode Island, was one of the worst-hit areas. There, tides surged up to 15 feet (4.6m) and wiped out most coastal homes, marinas, and yacht clubs. Downtown Providence was submerged beneath tides of close to 20 feet (6m). The hurricane’s total recorded death toll in New England was 564 with close to 1,700 people injured, and 8,900 homes destroyed.
This devastating Category 3 hurricane carried with it a heavy storm surge of 10 to 12 feet (3m to 3.7m), which caused enormous destruction along the coastline and offshore Sea Islands in Georgia and South Carolina. It's estimated that up to 3,500 people were killed – around 2,000 of those in South Carolina – making it one of the deadliest hurricanes in US history. Pictured is Beaufort on Port Royal Island, which suffered significant damage.
Also known as the Rapid City Flood, this was one of the most serious floods in South Dakota's history and one of the deadliest in the US, killing 238 people. It took place on June 9-10, 1972, in the Black Hills of western South Dakota and destroyed homes, vehicles, businesses, and bridges. Damage ran to several billion dollars at today’s prices. This image shows a pile-up of cars in the aftermath.
This huge flood from May 1-2, 2010, was a once-in-a-1,000-years event. Caused by the torrential rains of a very slow-moving, low-pressure system, it led to 26 deaths across Kentucky and Tennessee (11 in the Nashville area) and caused billions of dollars' worth of damage. A Presidential Disaster Declaration was put in place in many of the state’s counties. Nashville experienced its all-time rainiest day with close to 14 inches (36cm) falling.
The hurricane that leveled Galveston remains the deadliest natural disaster in US history. The Category 4 hurricane descended on the town on September 8, with 135 miles per hour (217km/h) winds destroying more than 3,600 buildings. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) estimates a death toll between 6,000 and 12,000 people. The Texan island city was particularly vulnerable to the storm surge, which was over 15 feet (4.6m).
Tornadoes are rare in Utah, and this storm – which hit Salt Lake City on August 11, 1999 – was only the second in the state to claim lives. One person was killed and more than 80 injured when the tornado ripped through Salt Lake City's downtown area, shattering windows and destroying a tented area, pictured, that was set up for a convention. It’s thought the tornado caused around $170 million in damage in 10 minutes.
Still the biggest natural disaster in the state's history, the Great Vermont Flood swept through the state from November 3-4, 1927. A total of 84 people were killed in the deluge – the highest death toll from a natural disaster in the state. It also had a devastating impact on infrastructure, ripping up railroads and tearing homes from their foundations. Much of the state saw six inches (15cm) of rain during the event.
Hurricane Isabel made landfall on September 18 at Virginia Beach and went on to become the most destructive storm in Virginia’s history. Hitting hardest around Chesapeake Bay, Isabel is most remembered for storm surges that created record-high water levels. The hurricane killed 32 people in Virginia – the highest death toll among the nine states hit – and caused an estimated $3.4 billion in property damage.
The deadliest avalanche in US history occurred at Stevens Pass in Wellington on March 1, 1910. As many as 96 people were killed when the wall of snow collapsed and hit two trains that had been stuck in snow drifts for several days. The tragedy had a lasting impact on railroading through the high Cascades, with a 7.8-mile (12.6km) tunnel built through the mountains.
Between eight and 10 inches (20cm and 25cm) of rain fell during a 12-hour period from August 27-28, 2016, resulting in a flood that was among the most lethal in West Virginia’s history. At least 23 people were killed in the deluge, which also destroyed thousands of buildings, roads, and bridges. The total cost of the damages was about $1 billion.
It was a hot summer’s day in June 1899 and the circus was in town when this deadly tornado struck New Richmond. It remains one of the state’s most tragic weather events and among the deadliest tornadoes in US history, killing 117 people and injuring hundreds more. It started as a waterspout in Lake St. Croix and spun violently into the city, leveling farms, and leaving a path of destruction on the way. Many buildings, including the New Richmond Methodist Church and the entire business district, were completely destroyed.
The bone-chilling winter storm of 1949 is sometimes called the 'Storm of the Century' (a title that has since been given to the brutal March 1993 blizzards that battered the east coast). The first storm hit southeast Wyoming on January 2, and ushered in two months of bitter cold and blizzards. The official death toll for the region was 76, with 12 of those in Wyoming. Ranchers and farmers also lost tens of thousands of livestock. The state is prone to heavy snow, as this 1955 photo of Beartooth Highway at the entrance to Yellowstone National Park shows.
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