List of costliest Atlantic hurricanes
This is a list of costliest Atlantic hurricanes. Hurricanes, as defined by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), are tropical cyclones—a warm-core, non-frontal synoptic-scale cyclone, originating over tropical or subtropical waters with organized deep convection and a closed surface wind circulation about a well-defined center—in the Atlantic, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, or eastern Pacific, in which the maximum 1-minute sustained surface wind exceeds 64 knots (74 mph; 119 km/h) or greater. The hurricanes on the list below depict the severity of the damage the system has caused. Typically, if a hurricane has caused significant damage to a particular location, it is requested to be retired by the region the system affected. The costliest hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic was Hurricane Katrina, which struck the coastline of Louisiana in August 2005, causing $108 billion (2005 USD) in property damage. The most recent, costliest hurricane was Hurricane Sandy, which struck the coastlines of Jamaica, Cuba and New Jersey causing $68 billion in total cost (2012 USD) in late October 2012.
A majority of the costliest Atlantic hurricanes in recorded history have peaked as major hurricanes. However, weaker tropical cyclones can still cause widespread damage. Both tropical storms Allison in 2001 and Lee in 2011 have caused over a billion in damage; the former of which accounted for a higher damage total. Due to their excessive damage, the names of tropical cyclones accruing over $1 billion in damage are often retired by the World Meteorological Organization. However, this is not always the case. Hurricane Juan in 1985 was the first hurricane to cause over a billion in damage and not be retired; its name was retired on a later usage in 2003 that did not cause over a billion in damage. Since Juan, five tropical cyclones that caused over a billion in damage were not retired, the most recent of which being Hurricane Isaac in 2012. All other 39 Atlantic hurricanes to have caused as much damage have had their names retired.
The first hurricane to cause over $1 billion in damage was Hurricane Betsy in 1965, which caused much of its damage in southeastern Louisiana. Four years later, Hurricane Camille slightly exceeded Betsy's damage total after affecting similar regions, becoming the second tropical cyclone to cause as much damage. After the 1960s, each decade saw an increase in tropical cyclones causing at least a billion in damage over the last, due to increasing urban development and population. In the 1970s, four hurricanes caused over a billion in damage; the costliest of which was Hurricane Frederic, which caused $2.3 billion in damage, particularly in the Southeastern United States. The following decade featured seven hurricanes causing in excess of a billion in damage. In the 1990s, nine tropical cyclones accrued more than a billion in damage. Hurricane Andrew in 1992 greatly exceeded the damage figure of any preceding tropical cyclone after causing $26.5 billion in damage, mostly in South Florida. Seventeen tropical cyclones in the 2000s caused in excess of $1 billion in damage. Both 2004 and 2005 seasons had five billion-dollar hurricanes apiece, the most of any season on record. Hurricane Ivan caused at least a billion in damage in three separate countries. Thus far in the 2010s, eight tropical cyclones have amounted to over $1 billion in damage.
Overall costliest
This list ranks tropical cyclones within the Atlantic that have accrued at least US$1 billion in damage, based on their uninflated damage totals.
Name | Damage (Billions USD) |
Season | Storm classification at peak intensity |
Areas affected | References |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Katrina | $125.0 | 2005 | Category 5 hurricane | [1] | |
Sandy | $75.0 | 2012 | Category 3 hurricane | [2][3][4] | |
Ike | $37.5 | 2008 | Category 4 hurricane | [5][6][7] | |
Wilma | $29.3 | 2005 | Category 5 hurricane | [8][9][10][11] | |
Andrew | $26.5 | 1992 | Category 5 hurricane |
|
[5][12] |
Ivan | $23.3 | 2004 | Category 5 hurricane |
|
[5][13][14] |
Irene | $16.6 | 2011 | Category 3 hurricane |
|
[15][16][17] |
Charley | $15.1 | 2004 | Category 4 hurricane |
|
[18] |
Rita | $12.0 | 2005 | Category 5 hurricane |
|
[19] |
Frances | $9.85 | 2004 | Category 4 hurricane |
|
[5][13][20][21] |
Georges | $9.72 | 1998 | Category 4 hurricane |
|
[5][22][23][24][25][26] |
Allison | $9.0 | 2001 | Tropical storm |
|
[5][27] |
Jeanne | $7.66 | 2004 | Category 3 hurricane |
|
[5][13][28][29] |
Hugo | $8.5 | 1989 | Category 5 hurricane |
|
[5][30] |
Floyd | $6.9 | 1999 | Category 4 hurricane |
|
[5][31] |
Gustav | $6.61 | 2008 | Category 4 hurricane | [5][6] | |
Mitch | $6.2 | 1998 | Category 5 hurricane | [32][33][34] | |
Karl | $5.6 | 2010 | Category 3 hurricane | [35][36] | |
Opal | $5.41 | 1995 | Category 4 hurricane |
|
[5][37] |
Isabel | $5.37 | 2003 | Category 5 hurricane |
|
[5][38] |
Gilbert | $5.0 | 1988 | Category 5 hurricane |
|
[39] |
Fran | $4.16 | 1996 | Category 3 hurricane |
|
[5] |
Dennis | $4.0 | 2005 | Category 4 hurricane |
|
[5][8][40] |
Stan | $3.96 | 2005 | Category 1 hurricane |
|
[28][41] |
Luis | $2.5 | 1995 | Category 4 hurricane | [37] | |
Frederic | $2.3 | 1979 | Category 4 hurricane |
|
[42] |
Isaac | $2.3 | 2012 | Category 1 hurricane |
|
[43] |
Michelle | $2.15 | 2001 | Category 4 hurricane |
|
[24][27] |
Agnes | $2.1 | 1972 | Category 1 hurricane |
|
[5][44] |
Alicia | $2.0 | 1983 | Category 3 hurricane |
|
[45] |
Joan | $2.0 | 1988 | Category 4 hurricane |
|
[39] |
Alex | $1.885 | 2010 | Category 2 hurricane |
|
[46][47][48][49] |
Fifi | $1.8 | 1974 | Category 2 hurricane |
|
[50][51] |
Dean | $1.78 | 2007 | Category 5 hurricane |
|
[28][52] |
Lee | $1.6 | 2011 | Tropical storm |
|
|
David | $1.54 | 1979 | Category 5 hurricane |
|
[28][42] |
Bob | $1.5 | 1991 | Category 3 hurricane |
|
[53] |
Ingrid | $1.5 | 2013 | Category 1 hurricane |
|
[5] |
Juan | $1.5 | 1985 | Category 1 hurricane |
|
[5] |
Marilyn | $1.5 | 1995 | Category 3 hurricane |
|
[5][37] |
Roxanne | $1.5 | 1995 | Category 3 hurricane |
|
[37] |
Betsy | $1.42 | 1965 | Category 4 hurricane |
|
[5] |
Camille | $1.42 | 1969 | Category 5 hurricane |
|
[5] |
Isidore | $1.3 | 2002 | Category 3 hurricane |
|
[54][55] |
Elena | $1.25 | 1985 | Category 3 hurricane |
|
[56] |
Allen | $1.24 | 1980 | Category 5 hurricane |
|
[28][57][58] |
Dolly | $1.05 | 2008 | Category 2 hurricane |
|
[6] |
Emily | $1.01 | 2005 | Category 5 hurricane | [citation needed] |
See also
- List of tropical cyclones
- List of deadliest Atlantic hurricanes
- List of retired Atlantic hurricane names
- List of Pacific hurricanes
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/costliesttable.html
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14 5.15 5.16 5.17 5.18 5.19 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.(subscription required)
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 28.3 28.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 37.0 37.1 37.2 37.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 39.0 39.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 42.0 42.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.