Visualizing The World’s Worst Hurricanes In History

Published November 7, 2012
Updated November 9, 2023

From Hurricane Katrina to the little known category 5 hurricane that rocked Texas, we look at history's worst hurricanes.

The Worst Hurricanes In History

Credit: Uyirvani

The Worst Hurricanes In History: Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina

Credit: Uyirvani

Forming on August 23, 2005, Hurricane Katrina rapidly grew into a Category 5 hurricane within days of its creation. Katrina made landfall in the United States on August 29th and caused over $81 billion in damages while also claiming the lives of well over 1,500 people. It is perhaps most infamous for the incredible amount of damage the city of New Orleans suffered thanks to the hurricane’s intensity.

Most Devastating Hurricanes

Credit: Wikimedia

Hurricane Katrina Hitting New Orleans

Credit: Wikimedia

Hurricane Katrina Photograph

Credit: Wikipedia

Famous Hurricanes Katrina

Credit: Wikimedia

Hurricane Ike

Part of the 2008 hurricane season, Hurricane Ike lasted approximately a week and made landfall throughout the Caribbean and as far inland as Texas before finally losing strength.

Ike would go on to become the costliest hurricane to ever touch ground within the state, particularly in the city of Galveston, where windows were blown out of skyscrapers and thus caused glass to rain down on the city streets. In the end, Ike is believed to have cost nearly $37.6 billion in damages making it one of the most costliest and devastating hurricanes in history.

Hurricane Ike Impact On Texas

Credit: National Geographic

Damage Caused By Hurricane Ike

Credit: Chron

Hurricane Ike Photograph

Credit: Wikimedia, http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/Houston_Morgan_Chase_Building_Ike.jpg

Hurricane Ike

Credit: Wikimedia, http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/Destroyed_school_in_Port-Au-Prince.jpg

author
Savannah Cox
author
Savannah Cox holds a Master's in International Affairs from The New School as well as a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, and now serves as an Assistant Professor at the University of Sheffield. Her work as a writer has also appeared on DNAinfo.
editor
John Kuroski
editor
John Kuroski is the editorial director of All That's Interesting. He graduated from New York University with a degree in history, earning a place in the Phi Alpha Theta honor society for history students. An editor at All That's Interesting since 2015, his areas of interest include modern history and true crime.