Hurricane Disasters - TimeLines of Liberty

Earthquakes - Hurricanes - Volcanoes

Last updated September, 2005.

1400-1500-1600 - 1700s - 1800s - 1900s - This Century - 2005

1495 AD

Columbus
hurricane

Christopher Columbus records the first report of a hurricane having encountered a tropical storm on one voyage to the New World. Columbus later states, "nothing but the service of God and the extension of the monarchy" would force his exposure to such danger.

1559

Spanish
hurricane

73 ships destroyed out of a Spanish fleet of 74, that were to recapture Florida, when they sailed into a hurricane. The one remaining ship founded a colony near Pensacola, Florida.

1565

French
hurricane

The bid to control the Atlantic coast of North America is lost by the French when their fleet is destroyed by a storm. Without the added French support the Spanish capture Fort Carolina, near today's Jacksonville, Florida.

1609

Bermuda
hurricane

The 'Sea Venture' while in route to Virginia with supplies for the starving Jamestown colonists becomes damaged by a hurricane. Most of the 150 aboard; men, women and children found safety in the Bermuda Islands.

1635

Great Colonial
Hurricane

The eye of the Great Colonial Hurricane passes between Boston and Plymouth, Massachusetts causing a 20-foot tide in Boston. a report that thousands of trees and many houses were blown down was given by Governor William Bradford.

1700s

1743

hurricane
study

A lunar eclipse studied by Benjamin Franklin in September was foiled by a nearby hurricane. With his curiosity aroused he collected more details learning the storm moved up the seaboard against the surface winds. Science takes the first step to understanding the basics of hurricanes.

1749

Virginia
hurricane

Fort George in Virginia, where Fort Monroe is now, was destroyed by a hurricane in 1749. One record, "A sand spit of 800 acres was washed up," explains the creation of the Willoughby Spit in Norfolk.

1752

Charleston
hurricane

A hurricane's 17-foot storm surge destroys 500 homes and the fortifications in Charleston, South Carolina in 1752.

1776

1776

Hurricane of
Independence

The "Hurricane of Independence" ravages the Atlantic coast from North Carolina to Nova Scotia from September 2nd to the 9th. Over 4100 Americans and Canadians are thought have been killed.

1776

Martinique
hurricane

More than 6000 are killed in a 1776 storm that hits Martinique.

1780

1780

Great Hurricane
of 1780

The Great Hurricane of 1780 kills an estimated 22,000 destroying the British and French fleets in the Caribbean. This hurricane holds the record as the deadliest storm in recorded history.

1800s

1815

1815

Great Sep. Gale
hurricane

"The Great September Gale" makes landfall on Long Island, New York and then again in Connecticut. Providence Rhode Island is flooded and extensive damage throughout New England is left behind.

1819

1819

hurricane
study

A Harvard professor published an article in 1819 concluding that a hurricane "appears to have been a moving vortex and not the rushing forward of a great body of the atmosphere."

1846

1846

Racer's Storm
hurricane

Racer's Storm was named for the British sloop of war that encountered it in the Caribbean. Being one of the most destructive storms of the 19th century it leaves a path of destruction 2,000 miles wide. Forming near Jamaica it crosses the Yucatan then strikes the Gulf coast of Texas then skimming along Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina to arrive off the North Carolina coast on October 9th.

1848

1848

Fort Brooke
hurricane

Two hurricanes within the same month in 1848 nearly destroy Fort Brooke located at today's Tampa, Florida. One of the storms pushed a tide of 15 feet through the town.

1856

1856

Last Island
hurricane

Last Island in Louisiana is hit by a category 4 hurricane killing 400 people.

1873

1873

hurricane
tracking

The first hurricane warning in the U.S. is issued by the U.S. Army Signal Corps. A hurricane approaching the coast was expected to come ashore between Cape May, New Jersey and New London, Connecticut, but never made landfall.

1878

1878

Florida 3 day
hurricane

The Florida Keys was hit by a slow-traveling hurricane that for three days crept up the center of the state.

1881

1881

South Carolina
hurricane

An 1881 hurricane ends up in South Carolina after first making landfall, causing destruction, at Savannah and Augusta, Georgia and submerging several barrier islands by the storm surge in South Carolina.

1886

1886

Indianola
hurricane

Alexandria, Louisiana has 21.4 inches of rain dumped from a June category 4 hurricane. The coast of Louisiana is flooded and after moving into Texas the city of Indianola was destroyed, never to be rebuilt.

1893

1893

August
hurricane

A Storm that hits Georgia and South Carolina submerging the barrier islands on August 28th kills between 1000 and 2000 people.

1893

October
hurricane

An October hurricane floods the Louisiana bayou, killing 2000 people.

1900s

1900

1900

The 1900
hurricane

The 1900 hurricane is the nation's most fatal natural disaster with some 8000 to 12000 dead. The storm hits with little warning on September 8th causing storm tides of 8 to 15 feet flooding Galveston Island and areas along the Texas coast.

1909

1909

Grand Isle
Hurricane

A category 4 hurricane lasting 9 days from September 10th to the 21st hitting Grande Isle and the coasts of Louisiana and Mississippi killing 350 people.

1914

1914

free season
hurricane

The 1914 season gets a pass with only one tropical storm and no hurricanes.

1915

1915

Louisiana-Texas
hurricane

An August 5th to the 23rd rampaging category 4 hurricane hits New Orleans, Louisiana and Galveston, Texas, killing 275 people.

1919

1919

Corpus Christi
hurricane

Corpus Christi, Texas is hit by a 12 foot storm surge on September by a category 4 hurricane that had already hit Cuba and the Florida Keys. An estimated 600 to 900 people were killed.

1926

1926

Florida-Alabama
hurricane

243 are dead in a hurricane that strikes southeast Florida and Alabama in its duration from September 11th to the 22nd.

1928

1928

San Felipe
hurricane

The San Felipe hurricane is the second deadliest in the United States with 1,836 dead in Florida. In the Caribbean 1,167 die then with a direct hit on Puerto Rico, on September 13th, 312 people perish. The storm makes landfall close to Palm Beach Florida on the 16th of September moving inland to Lake Okeechobee causing a lake surge nearly 9 feet that floods surrounding areas.

1930

1930

Santo Domingo
hurricane

Thousand are left dead by a hurricane that ravages the Dominican Republic and leaves the capital, Santo Domingo, near total destruction.

1933

1933

busy season
hurricanes

Eastern Virginia is swamped by a hurricane in August in the busiest season of record, listing 21 hurricanes and tropical storms.

1935

1935

Labor Day
hurricane

The Labor Day hurricane strikes the Florida Keys on September 2nd then heads north. WWI veterans working in the area are the primary victim of the 408 killed in the category 5; the most intense hurricane to strike the U.S.

1938

1938

Long Is. Express
hurricane

A hurricane called the "Long Island Express", with little warning, slams Long Island, New York then ransacks southern New England with a death toll of 600.

1940

1940

Abbeville
hurricane

An early August hurricane rains 31.66 inches on Abbeville, Louisiana. The storm caused heavy flooding claiming 50 lives in Southeast United States.

1943

1943

Hurricane
study

I assume it was for study when, Col. Joseph P. Duckworth becomes the first pilot to intentionally fly his plane through the storm and into the eye of a hurricane.

1944

1944

World War II
hurricane

From September 9th to the 16th storm travels bombarding the east coast from North Carolina to New England as a category 4 hurricane that causes 46 deaths in the United States. An additional 344 deaths were on ships at sea with the hurricane having a devastating effect on War shipping. A U.S. Navy destroyer , two U.S. Coast Guard cutters a light vessel and another ship were sank by the storm.

1947

1947

Florida
hurricane

From September 4th to the 21st a hurricane hits Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama killing 51 people.

1953

1953

hurricane
tracking

Hurricane tracking forecasters begin to give female names, to distinguish between the various tropical and hurricane storms.

1954

1954

Hurricane
Carol

Hurricane Carol makes landfall on August 31st over Long Island, N.Y. and Connecticut. 60 died in her wake with 461 million dollars in damages.

1954

Hurricane
Edna

Hurricane Edna, just over a week after hurricane Carol, makes landfall over Cape Cod on September 10th killing 20 people.

1954

Hurricane
Hazel

Already having hit Haiti, on Oct. 15th Hurricane Hazel comes ashore in the Carolinas then pushes through through Pennsylvania, New York on into Canada. 95 die in the United States, 100 in Canada, and 400 possibly up to 1,000 in Haiti.

1955

1955

Hurricane
Connie

Connie hits the North Carolina coast in early August with heavy rains that set the stage for the devastating floods caused by Diane.

1955

Hurricane
Diane

Hurricane Diane hits the North Carolina five days after Connie August which results in devastating floods from North Carolina to Massachusetts. The floods were responsible for the 184 who died. Damages hit $5.5 billion.

1957

1957

Hurricane
Audrey

Audrey a category 4 hurricane travels through Louisiana destroying Cameron before hitting Texas from June 25 to the 28th leaving 390 people dead.

1959

1959

Hurricane
Audrey

Audrey strikes the border of Texas and Louisiana on June 27th then turns to Mississippi. The storm surges push as far as 25 miles inland causing most of the 390 deaths.

1960

1960

Hurricane
Donna

Donna strikes Florida on September 11th moving north to New England. Donna, a category 4 hurricane, was the first storm to produce hurricane-force winds in Florida, the Mid-Atlantic states and the New England States. More than 50 people in the U.S. and 115 in Antilles died in the wake of Hurricane Donna.

1961

1961

Hurricane
Carla

Lasting from September 3rd to the 15th Carla, a category 4 hurricane, rampages gulf cities of Texas taking 26 lives.

1963

1963

Hurricane
Flora

Hurricane Flora kills more than 7,000 people in its path through Haiti and Cuba.

1965

1965

Hurricane
Betsy

Betsy hits the Bahamas to ransack Florida a day later on its 2 week rampage. Miami and Fort Lauderdale is flooded by a 6-foot tide. It later hits Louisiana for a total death toll of 75

1969

1969

Hurricane
Camille

Category 5, Hurricane Camille comes ashore along the Mississippi coast on August 17th then moves north. In Mississippi, Pass Christian is hit by a 24.6 foot storm tide. The winds, surges, and rain kills 143 on the Gulf front and 113 in the Virginia floods. Damages, during the August 14th to 22nd rampage, are estimated at up to 6.9 billion dollars.

1971

1971

Hurricane
Ginger

Hurricane Ginger sets a length record of 31days (20 as hurricane force winds) as it meanders around the North Atlantic, the Bermuda Triangle and the North Carolina and Virginia coasts.

1972

1972

Hurricane
Agnes

In the run of Hurricane Agnes from the Yucatan Peninsula it makes landfall on the Florida panhandle on August 19th continuing northward ending up in New York on the 22nd and 23rd. 122 are killed, most in the flash floods. Damages of 3 billion dollars resulted. The extensive flooding and the 50 dead make Agnes, only a category 1, the worst natural disaster in Pennsylvania.

1974

1974

Hurricane
Fifi

Fifi makes landfall on September 18th and 19th killing up to 10,000 people in Honduras. Over one third of the country's cattle is drowned and 80 percent of the banana crop is destroyed.

1975

1975

hurricane
tracking

The Saffir-Simpson scale for measuring hurricanes is developed by meteorologists Herbert Saffir and Robert Simpson in 1975.

1979

1979

hurricane
tracking

Weather officials tracking hurricanes begin to be politically correct and start using male names for hurricanes.

1979

Hurricane
David

From the Carribbean on August 25th to New England through September 7th Hurricane David killing 5 in the U.S. and over 1200 in the Dominican Republic.

1979

Hurricane
Frederic

The Gulf Coast is whipped by Hurricane Frederic in its rampage from August 29th to September 15th, devastating Mobile, Alabama causing around 3 billion dollars in damages.

1979

Hurricane
Hugo

Hurricane Hugo comes ashore at South Carolina on September 22nd after tearing up Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Storm surges flood the coast with 20 foot tides. 50 die throughout the areas hit with U.S. damages at 7 billion dollars.

1980

1980

Hurricane
Allen

Hurricane Allen from August 3rd to the 10th storms its way from the Caribbean, killing over 200 to Texas in the Gulf killing 28.

1983

1983

Hurricane
Alicia

Hitting Galveston and Houston in Texas Hurricane Alicia kills 21 with damages from 2 to 3.4 billion in its path from August 15th to the 21st.

1985

1985

Hurricane
Juan

As only a category 1 hurricane Juan causes flooding and around 2 billion dollars in damages, killing 63 people in its wake from October 6th to November 1st.

1989

1989

Hurricane
Hugo

From September 10th to the 22nd Hurricane Hugo, a category 4, hits the Caribbean and the Carolinas leaving 86 dead and estimated damages of over 7 billion dollars.

1991

1991

Perfect Storm
hurricane

The eastern Atlantic seaboard, from October 30th to November 1st was slammed by a surprise storm that was unnamed but dubbed the "perfect storm". The rains and 39 foot waves caused extensive flooding and erosion.

1992

1992

Hurricane
Iniki

The Island of Kauai and the western shores of Oahu are ravaged by Hurricane Iniki in 1992.

1992

Hurricane
Andrew

From August 22nd to the 26th Andrew blasts a record as the most destructive U.S. hurricane of record as of 1992, as a category 5. 3 are killed in the Bahamas and 23 in Florida and Louisiana. The United states received an estimated damage of 26.5 to 34.9 billion dollars.

1994

1994

Hurricane
Gordon

Hurricane Gordon's fling from November 8th to the 21st hits the Caribbean and southern Florida killing 1122 people in Haiti and 8 in Florida.

1995

1995

2nd busiest year
hurricanes

On record, 1995 was the busiest hurricane season, with 19 storms, since 1933 that recorded 21 storms.

1995

Hurricane
Opal

Opal touches land on November 29th in Florida continuing to Alabama causing extensive damages of 3 to 3.5 billion dollars and 9 deaths.

1996

1996

Surprise
hurricanes

Surprising experts, 1996 became a worse hurricane season than 1995. 1996 had 6 hurricanes that were a category 3 or greater causing more than 4.1 billion dollars and killing 147 people in the U.S., Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean islands.

1996

Hurricane
Fran

Category 3, Hurricane Fran caused over 3.2 billion dollars in damages and Kill 37 people beginning September 5th making landfall in North Carolina moving to Virginia.

1997

1997

Quiet Year
hurricanes

After two of the worse years, 1995 and 1996, for hurricanes 1997 is surprisingly quiet with only three hurricanes.

1998

1998

Hurricane
Mitch

Honduras takes the brunt of Hurricane Mitch with 60 percent of the 11,000 deaths as it traveled across Central America. Damages surpassed 5.5 billion dollars.

1999

1999

Hurricane
Floyd

Hurricane Floyd hits landfall as a category 2, near Cape Fear, North Carolina on September 16th, continuing up the coast into New England. Total damages were 4.5 billion dollars with the resulting floods causing 50 of the 57 deaths.

2000s

2000

2000

No U.S. landfall
hurricane

2000 brought an average above normal count of tropical storms and hurricanes, however not one hurricane came ashore in the United States.

2001

2001

Tropical St.Allison
hurricane

Raging through Texas killing 41 people in 2001, Tropical Storm Allison remained under hurricane force winds, however Allison still ranks among the 10 top storms causing the most damage; 5 billion dollars. The tropical storm raged from June 8th to the 15th, first hitting the Gulf coast then northward to southern New England.

2003

2003

Hurricane
Isabel

Isabel a category 2 hurricane kills 50 with damages more than 3.7 billion dollars. Isabel hit North Carolina on September 18th then continues to Virginia.

2004

2004

Hurricane
Charley

Category 4 Charley slams Florida on August 13th causing 15 billion dollars in destruction and killing 34.

2004

Hurricane
Ivan

Ivan twirls its way from Grenada to hit Alabama on September 16 and then hitting Florida as a category 3 hurricane. Ivan's damage in the U.S. was 14.2 billion dollars. 52 people were killed in the U.S. and 66 in the Caribbean.

2004

Hurricane
Frances

Hurricane Frances hits Florida as a category 2 on September 5th causing 38 deaths and 8.9 billion dollars in damages.

2004

Hurricane
Jeanne

Category 3, Hurricane Jeanne floods Florida again on September 26th causing 6.9 billion dollars in damages and 28 deaths.

2005

2005

Hurricane
Katrina

Hurricane Katrina hits Florida on August 25th north of Miami Beach as a Category 1. Weakening over land it moves out into the Gulf causing damage along Alabama and Mississippi on August 26th, growing to a category 2. Katrina grows to a category 4 and hits Louisiana on August 29th. 145 mile an hour winds and storm surges destroy Biloxi, Mississippi and breaches dikes causing massive flooding in New Orleans. Death toll as of September 23rd is; 14 in Florida; 220 in Mississippi; 896 in Louisiana; 2 in Alabama; 1 in Kentucky; 2 in Ohio; and 57 among evacuees.

2005

Hurricane
Rita

Hurricane Rita on the heals of Katrina hits Texas and Louisiana, as a category 5, leaving destruction Katrina had missed. The death toll as of September 27th was 31; 9 from the hurricane and 23 evacuees when a bus of senior citizens exploded. (Need Date)

1400-1500-1600 - 1700s - 1800s - 1900s - This Century - 2005

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TimeLine of Nature - Disasters
1400-1500-1600 - 1700s - 1800s - 1900s - This Century - 2005

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