All data is from the National Hurricane Center. Numbers from 1900-2020 are taken from the NHC's report on "The Deadliest, Costliest and Most Intense U.S. Tropical Cyclones."
All damage numbers are adjusted for inflation to 2020 USD. Reported deaths are for the U.S. only.
Total cost of damages: $170 billion
Storm category: 3
Deaths attributed to storm in the U.S. (both direct and indirect*): 1,833
Only partial framing remains of houses in a residential community along the Jourdan River, north of Bay St. Louis, Miss., after being devastated by Hurricane Katrina on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2005. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)
*Deaths occurring as a direct result of the forces of the tropical cyclone are referred to as “direct” deaths, according to the National Hurricane Center. These would include those persons who drowned in storm surge, rough seas, rip currents, and freshwater floods. Direct deaths also include casualties resulting from lightning and wind-related events (e.g., collapsing structures). Deaths occurring from such factors as heart attacks, house fires, electrocutions from downed power lines, vehicle accidents on wet roads, etc., are considered “indirect” deaths.
