Hurricane Statistics Fast Facts

CNN Editorial Research

Updated 1306 GMT (2106 HKT) May 15, 2023

Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years

The last 30 years have brought plenty of deadly and destructive storms to the United States, including 2005's Hurricane Katrina (here, police and others use boats to rescue people in a flooded New Orleans neighborhood). Click through the gallery to see more photos of disastrous hurricanes over the last three decades, and check out this video to find out which states have been hit the most often.

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Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years

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<strong>Sandy, 2012:</strong> It technically lost its hurricane status shortly before striking New Jersey, but its gigantic size -- it covered 1.8 million square miles at landfall -- sent devastating storm surges to the coast. Here, a man looks for pieces of his beach house after <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/13/world/americas/hurricane-sandy-fast-facts/">Sandy </a>demolished it in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. With 72 directly killed in eight states, this was the most deadly tropical cyclone outside the South since 1972's Hurricane Agnes. At least 650,000 U.S. homes were damaged or destroyed in the U.S.

Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years

Sandy, 2012: It technically lost its hurricane status shortly before striking New Jersey, but its gigantic size -- it covered 1.8 million square miles at landfall -- sent devastating storm surges to the coast. Here, a man looks for pieces of his beach house after Sandy demolished it in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. With 72 directly killed in eight states, this was the most deadly tropical cyclone outside the South since 1972's Hurricane Agnes. At least 650,000 U.S. homes were damaged or destroyed in the U.S.

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Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years

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<strong>Irene, 2011:</strong> After hitting North Carolina, <a href="http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL092011_Irene.pdf" target="_blank">Irene</a> did most of its damage in the way of heavy rain and flooding in New York and New England. In southern Vermont alone, nearly 2,400 roads were damaged or destroyed, NOAA says. Here, Tony Carr carries a TV set September 1 from his home, which was destroyed by Irene-related floods in Prattsville, New York.

Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years

Irene, 2011: After hitting North Carolina, Irene did most of its damage in the way of heavy rain and flooding in New York and New England. In southern Vermont alone, nearly 2,400 roads were damaged or destroyed, NOAA says. Here, Tony Carr carries a TV set September 1 from his home, which was destroyed by Irene-related floods in Prattsville, New York.

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Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years

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<strong>Ike, 2008</strong>: After killing scores in the Caribbean, Ike turned to Texas, sending storm surges that leveled homes on Galveston Island. It's remnants did extensive damage as far north as Ohio, where 2.6 million people lost power. Here, an Air Force Reserve pararescueman scans the ravaged Texas landscape shortly after Ike.

Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years

Ike, 2008: After killing scores in the Caribbean, Ike turned to Texas, sending storm surges that leveled homes on Galveston Island. It's remnants did extensive damage as far north as Ohio, where 2.6 million people lost power. Here, an Air Force Reserve pararescueman scans the ravaged Texas landscape shortly after Ike.

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Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years

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<strong>Katrina, 2005:</strong> Unforgettable <a href="http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL122005_Katrina.pdf" target="_blank">Katrina</a> -- the costliest hurricane and one of the five deadliest to hit the United States, according to NOAA -- devastated the Gulf Coast days after crossing Florida. Flooding destroyed thousands of homes in the New Orleans area alone; storm surges wiped out coastal towns in Mississippi. Here, people stand stranded on a roof in New Orleans.

Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years

Katrina, 2005: Unforgettable Katrina -- the costliest hurricane and one of the five deadliest to hit the United States, according to NOAA -- devastated the Gulf Coast days after crossing Florida. Flooding destroyed thousands of homes in the New Orleans area alone; storm surges wiped out coastal towns in Mississippi. Here, people stand stranded on a roof in New Orleans.

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Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years

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<strong>Rita, 2005</strong>: Just a month after Katrina, <a href="http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL182005_Rita.pdf" target="_blank">Hurricane Rita</a> piled on, slamming into the Louisiana coast. Wind, rain and tornadoes left billions in damages from eastern Texas to Alabama. Here, surging water from Rita reach the streets of New Orleans' Ninth Ward, topping a levee that had just been patched after Katrina damaged it.

Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years

Rita, 2005: Just a month after Katrina, Hurricane Rita piled on, slamming into the Louisiana coast. Wind, rain and tornadoes left billions in damages from eastern Texas to Alabama. Here, surging water from Rita reach the streets of New Orleans' Ninth Ward, topping a levee that had just been patched after Katrina damaged it.

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Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years

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<strong>Wilma, 2005</strong>: The year might be remembered for the one-two punch of Katrina and Rita, but <a href="http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL252005_Wilma.pdf" target="_blank">Wilma</a>, which hit Florida after devastating Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, would become (as of May 2015) the U.S.'s fifth most costly cyclone. Here, workers remove debris from a Miami flower and plant shop on October 28. Millions were without power in the state.

Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years

Wilma, 2005: The year might be remembered for the one-two punch of Katrina and Rita, but Wilma, which hit Florida after devastating Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, would become (as of May 2015) the U.S.'s fifth most costly cyclone. Here, workers remove debris from a Miami flower and plant shop on October 28. Millions were without power in the state.

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Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years

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<strong>Beta, 2005</strong>: Beta wasn't one of the most devastating cyclones, but we include it here to make a point: There were so many named storms in the Atlantic in 2005 that forecasters' pre-approved 21-name list for the year was exhausted. So they went to the Greek alphabet six times, including for Hurricane Beta, which directly hit part of Nicaragua. Here, people wade through a street flooded by Beta in Honduras on October 30.

Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years

Beta, 2005: Beta wasn't one of the most devastating cyclones, but we include it here to make a point: There were so many named storms in the Atlantic in 2005 that forecasters' pre-approved 21-name list for the year was exhausted. So they went to the Greek alphabet six times, including for Hurricane Beta, which directly hit part of Nicaragua. Here, people wade through a street flooded by Beta in Honduras on October 30.

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Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years

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<strong>Ivan, 2004</strong>: This year also was hurricane-heavy, punctuated by <a href="http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL092004_Ivan.pdf" target="_blank">Ivan</a>, a storm with two lives. First, it killed dozens in the Caribbean and slammed into Alabama. Later, its remnants went back over Florida from the Atlantic and re-formed in the Gulf as a tropical storm, making another landfall in southwestern Louisiana. It spawned more than 100 tornadoes, one of the factors that left considerable damage across the Southeast and some mid-Atlantic states. Here, a woman walks over debris as she visits her home, destroyed by Ivan, in Perdido Key, Florida, on September 20.

Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years

Ivan, 2004: This year also was hurricane-heavy, punctuated by Ivan, a storm with two lives. First, it killed dozens in the Caribbean and slammed into Alabama. Later, its remnants went back over Florida from the Atlantic and re-formed in the Gulf as a tropical storm, making another landfall in southwestern Louisiana. It spawned more than 100 tornadoes, one of the factors that left considerable damage across the Southeast and some mid-Atlantic states. Here, a woman walks over debris as she visits her home, destroyed by Ivan, in Perdido Key, Florida, on September 20.

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Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years

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<strong>Floyd, 1999: </strong>Deadly flooding, especially in North Carolina, was one of Floyd's main legacies. Parts of eastern North Carolina and Virginia received 15 to 20 inches of rain, and flooding led to the razing of thousands of buildings -- most of them homes -- from North Carolina to New Jersey. At the time, it was the deadliest U.S. hurricane since 1972. Here,a beach house, severely damaged by Floyd, sits crumbled sits in the sand on the Oak Island town of Long Beach, North Carolina, on November 10.

Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years

Floyd, 1999: Deadly flooding, especially in North Carolina, was one of Floyd's main legacies. Parts of eastern North Carolina and Virginia received 15 to 20 inches of rain, and flooding led to the razing of thousands of buildings -- most of them homes -- from North Carolina to New Jersey. At the time, it was the deadliest U.S. hurricane since 1972. Here,a beach house, severely damaged by Floyd, sits crumbled sits in the sand on the Oak Island town of Long Beach, North Carolina, on November 10.

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Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years

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<strong>Andrew, 1992</strong>: <a href="http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mfl/?n=andrew" target="_blank">Andrew</a> blasted its way across south Florida on August 24 as a Category 4 with peak gusts measured at 164 mph. After raking entire neighborhoods in an around Homestead, it moved across the Gulf to hit Louisiana as a Category 3. It was responsible for 23 U.S. deaths and three in the Bahamas. Here, a sailboat sits on a sidewalk at Dinner Key in Miami after Andrew washed it ashore.

Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years

Andrew, 1992: Andrew blasted its way across south Florida on August 24 as a Category 4 with peak gusts measured at 164 mph. After raking entire neighborhoods in an around Homestead, it moved across the Gulf to hit Louisiana as a Category 3. It was responsible for 23 U.S. deaths and three in the Bahamas. Here, a sailboat sits on a sidewalk at Dinner Key in Miami after Andrew washed it ashore.

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Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years

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<strong>Hugo, 1989</strong>: <a href="http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/outreach/history/#hugo" target="_blank">Hugo</a> ripped through the Carolinas, starting with Charleston, South Carolina, on September 22 as a Category 4 after raking the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Here, a man stands in a destroyed house on September 27 in South Carolina.

Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years

Hugo, 1989: Hugo ripped through the Carolinas, starting with Charleston, South Carolina, on September 22 as a Category 4 after raking the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Here, a man stands in a destroyed house on September 27 in South Carolina.

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(CNN)Here's a look at hurricane statistics.

Notable Hurricanes in Recent US History

September 23-30, 2022 - Hurricane Ian

Category 4 storm. Made first landfall in Cuba as a Category 3. Hit the southwestern coast of Florida as a Category 4 and made a second US landfall in South Carolina as a Category 1.

The storm directly caused at least 66 deaths in Florida.

August 26-September 1, 2021 - Hurricane Ida

Category 4 storm. Made first landfall in Cuba as a Category 1 hurricane and hit the Louisiana coast near Port Fourchon as a Category 4 hurricane.

The storm directly caused at least 55 deaths in Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Connecticut.

October 7-11, 2018 - Hurricane Michael

Category 5 storm. Made landfall in Florida near Mexico Beach and the Tyndall Air Force Base.

The hurricane was designated as a Category 4 storm when it made landfall in Florida but a post storm analysis revealed that winds reached 160 mph, prompting the upgrade by the National Hurricane Center. It is rare for category 5 storms to directly hit the mainland United States.

The storm's atmospheric pressure was 919 millibars at landfall, the third lowest pressure on record for a hurricane hitting the United States in modern times.

The town of Mexico Beach was devastated by the storm. Out of 1,692 buildings in town, 1,584 buildings were reported damaged, with 809 of those reported destroyed. At the Tyndall Air Force Base, all buildings in the complex were reported damaged.

The storm directly caused at least 16 deaths in Florida, Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia.

September 16-30, 2017 - Hurricane Maria

Category 5 storm. Made landfall on the island of Dominica as a Category 5 hurricane and hit Puerto Rico as a Category 4 hurricane.

The official death toll after the storm was 64 in Puerto Rico but investigations by CNN and other news organizations indicated there may have been more than 1,000 storm-related fatalities on the island.

The Puerto Rican government raised Maria's death toll from 64 to 2,975 after a report on storm fatalities was published in August 2018 by researchers at George Washington University.

Earlier, an academic report published in the New England Journal of Medicine estimated 4,645 people died during the storm and its aftermath. The article's authors called Puerto Rico's official death toll of 64 a "substantial underestimate." However, the death toll cited in the article was a midpoint estimate based on a limited survey of 3,299 households. The survey indicated that the number of people who died in the storm's wake could range from 793 to 8,498.

Additionally, 31 people were killed in Dominica as a direct result of the storm. Deaths were also reported in St. Thomas, the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Three people drowned due to rip currents off the coast of New Jersey and a fourth drowning death was reported in Florida.

Massive damage to the aging electrical grid led to widespread outages that stretched on for months.

August 30-September 12, 2017 - Hurricane Irma

Category 5 storm. Made seven landfalls, including four as a Category 5 hurricane across islands in the northern Caribbean. Hit the Florida Keys as a Category 4 storm and made landfall in southwestern Florida as a Category 3 storm.

More than six million Florida residents were ordered to evacuate ahead of the storm.

Irma directly caused at least 47 deaths in the Caribbean Islands and the southeastern United States.

August 17-September 1, 2017 - Hurricane Harvey

Category 4 storm. Made first landfall near Rockport, Texas as a Category 4 hurricane and churned along the Texas coast for four days, causing devastating flooding. Its remnants later made another landfall in southwestern Louisiana.

It set a record for the most rainfall from a tropical cyclone in the continental United States, with 51 inches of rain recorded in areas of Texas. An estimated 27 trillion gallons of water fell over Texas and Louisiana during a six-day period.

At least 68 direct storm-related fatalities were reported in Texas, the highest hurricane death toll in the state since 1919.

October 22-29, 2012 - Hurricane Sandy

Category 3 storm. Made landfall in Cuba as a Category 2. Hit New Jersey as a post-tropical cyclone.

Path included Haiti, Jamaica, Cuba and the coastlines of New Jersey and New York.

An extraordinarily large storm, with tropical storm-force winds extending 870 nautical miles in diameter.

At least 147 direct deaths, including 72 in the United States, 54 in Haiti, 11 in Cuba, three in the Dominican Republic, two in the Bahamas, one in Canada, one in Jamaica, one in Puerto Rico and two maritime deaths.

August 21-September 1, 2012 - Hurricane Isaac

Category 1 storm

Path included Haiti, Cuba, southern Mississippi and southeastern Louisiana.

The direct death toll from Isaac was estimated to be 34 fatalities in the United States, Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

August 20-29, 2011 - Hurricane Irene

Category 3 storm. Made landfall in eastern North Carolina as a Category 1.

Death toll directly attributed to Irene was 48, with five in the Dominican Republic, three in Haiti and 40 in the United States.

October 29-November 7, 2010 - Hurricane Tomas

Category 2 storm. Hit St. Lucia as a Category 1.

Affected areas included St. Lucia, Barbados, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, Curacao, and Haiti.

Death toll of 44 in the Lesser and Greater Antilles.

September 1-14, 2008 - Hurricane Ike

Category 4 storm. Made landfall over the Turks and Caicos Islands as a Category 4. Hit Galveston Island, Texas as a Category 2.

Path included Turks and Caicos Islands, Cuba, Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas.

Direct death toll was 103 across Hispaniola, Cuba and the Gulf Coast of the United States.

October 15-25, 2005 - Hurricane Wilma

Category 5 storm. Made landfall over Cozumel, Mexico as a Category 4. Later, made landfall near Cape Romano, Florida as a Category 3.

Death toll directly attributed to Wilma was 23, with five in the United States, 12 in Haiti, four in Mexico, one in Jamaica and one in the Bahamas

September 20-24, 2005 - Hurricane Rita

Category 5 storm. Made landfall near the border of Louisiana and Texas as a Category 3.

Death toll directly attributed to Rita was seven.

August 25-29, 2005 - Hurricane Katrina

Category 5 storm. Hit Florida as a Category 1. Hit Buras, Louisiana as a Category 3.

Path included Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana.

Direct and indirect death toll in the United States was 1,833.

September 2-24, 2004 - Hurricane Ivan

Category 5 storm. Hit Grenada as a Category 3.

Affected areas included the Gulf Coast of the United States, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Caribbean islands.

Death toll directly attributed to Ivan was 92, with 25 in the United States, 39 in Grenada, 17 in Jamaica, four in the Dominican Republic, three in Venezuela, two in the Cayman Islands, one in Tobago and one in Barbados

August 25-September 8, 2004 - Hurricane Frances

Category 3 storm. Hit the Bahamas as a Category 3 storm and Florida as a Category 2 storm.

Affected areas included Florida and Caribbean islands.

Death toll directly attributed to Frances was seven: six in the United States and one in the Bahamas

August 9-14, 2004 - Hurricane Charley

Category 4 storm. Made landfall in Cuba as a Category 3. Hit Florida as a Category 4.

Path included Grand Cayman Islands, Cuba, Florida and South Carolina.

Death toll directly attributed to Charley in the United States was 10.

August 16-28, 1992 - Hurricane Andrew

Category 5 storm (reclassified in 2005). Originally believed to be a Category 4.

Path included northwestern Bahamas, Florida and Louisiana.

Direct death toll was 26: 23 in the United States and three in the Bahamas

September 10-22, 1989 - Hurricane Hugo

Category 5 storm. Made landfall in both the Leeward Islands and later South Carolina as a Category 4.

Path included the Caribbean Islands (Puerto Rico), South Carolina, and North Carolina.

Death toll directly attributed to Hugo was 49. Of those deaths, 26 were in the mainland United States, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.

Direct Hits by Hurricanes to US Mainland 1851-2020 (NOAA)

CATEGORY 5: 4
CATEGORY 4: 26
CATEGORY 3: 62
CATEGORY 2: 86
CATEGORY 1: 123
TOTAL: 301

Major hurricanes between 1851 and 2020 (Categories 3, 4, 5): 92

The Ten Deadliest Hurricanes in the Mainland United States (NOAA)

(The government began naming storms in 1953)
Place - Year - Category - Direct death toll
1. Galveston, TX - 1900 - 4 - between 8,000 and 12,000
2. Southeastern FL - 1928 - 4 - between 2,500 and 3,000
3. Louisiana/Mississippi (Katrina) - 2005 - 3 - 1,500
4. Louisiana - 1893 - 4 - 1100-1400
5. South Carolina/Georgia - 1893 - 3 - 1000-2000
6. Georgia/South Carolina - 1881 - 2 - 700
7. Louisiana/Texas (Audrey) - 1957 - 4 - 416
8. Florida Keys - 1935 - 5 - 408
9. Louisiana - 1856 - 4 - 400
10. Florida - 1926 - 4 - 372

The 10 Costliest Hurricanes and Tropical/Post-Tropical Storms in the United States - 1900-2023 (NOAA)

Based on the 2023 Consumer Price Index adjusted cost
Name - Year - Category or Type - Damage
1. Katrina - 2005 - 3 - $192.5 billion
2. Harvey - 2017 - 4 - $152.5 billion
3. Ian - 2022 - 4 - $114 billion
4. Maria - 2017 - 4 - $109.8 billion
5. Sandy - 2012 - 1 - $84.6 billion
6. Ida - 2021 - 4 - $80.9 billion
7. Irma - 2017 - 4 - $61 billion
8. Andrew - 1992 - 5 - $57.8 billion
9. Ike - 2008 - 2 - $41.4 billion
10. Ivan - 2004 - 3 - $32.6 billion