list of notable tropical cyclones

This is a list of notable tropical cyclones, subdivided by basin and reason for notability. It does not include tropical storms which may have caused destructive inland flooding, but whose names are not retired. There are rare exceptions, like Tropical Storm Allison, which caused so much flood damage that its name was retired. Hurricane names are retired due to the notoriety of the storm to which they are attached. See naming of tropical cyclones.

North Atlantic basin

Retired names

Carol, 1954-caused over $1 billion in damage in New England.
Hazel, 1954 - killed 1,000 in Haiti, caused heavy damage and killed nearly 200 in the US east coast from the Carolinas to New York and in Canada.
Connie, 1955 - caused extensive flooding in New England.
Diane, 1955 - struck the same area five days after Connie, and the two storms killed over 400.
Ione, 1955 - third storm to strike the same area, causing further damage to North Carolina.
Janet†, 1955 - struck Grenada and Belize, killing over 500.
Audrey, 1957 - killed 390 in Texas and Louisiana.
Gracie, 1959 - killed 22 in South Carolina, Virginia and Georgia.
Donna, 1960 - impacted every U.S. state on the east coast, killing 50 and causing $1 billion damage.
Carla, 1961 - large hurricane that caused damage in Texas as far inland as Dallas.
Hattie†, 1961 - hit British Honduras, destroying Belize City and killing 400.
Flora, 1963 - killed over 7,000 people in Haiti and Cuba.
Cleo, 1964 - killed over 150 in Guadeloupe and Hispaniola, then struck Miami, Florida.
Dora, 1964 - only hurricane on record to strike Jacksonville, Florida.
Hilda, 1964 - damaged New Orleans, Louisiana, killed 38.
Betsy, 1965 - caused $1.42 billion ($8 billion in 2000 dollars) damage and killed 76 in Louisiana.
Inez, 1966 - killed 1,000 in Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba and Mexico.
Beulah, 1967 - dropped almost 30 inches of rain on Beeville, Texas.
Edna, 1954
Camille†, 1969 - one of the strongest storms ever recorded, killed 143 along the U.S. Gulf coast.
Celia, 1970 - killed 20 people after hitting Corpus Christi, Texas.
Agnes, 1972 - caused flooding that killed 122 in the United States and $3.1 billion damage.
Carmen, 1974 - caused $150 million damage in the United States.
Fifi, 1974 - killed 8,000 in Honduras.
Eloise, 1975 - killed 76 from Hispaniola to Florida and northwards.
Anita, 1977 - struck Mexico near the Texas border, killing 10.
David, 1979 - killed over 2,000 people, mostly in the Dominican Republic and Dominica.
Frederic, 1979 - caused from $1 to $3 billion damage on the U.S. Gulf coast.
Allen, 1980 - one of the strongest hurricanes ever, spawned a tornado that alone caused $100 million damage.
Alicia, 1983 - struck Galveston, Texas then Houston, killing 22 and causing $2 billion damage.
Elena, 1985 - caused $1.25 billion damage in Florida and Mississippi.
Gloria, 1985 - hit New York's Long Island, among other areas, causing $900 million damage.
Gilbert†, 1988 - strongest hurricane ever recorded, killed 318 and caused $5 billion damage.
Joan, 1988 - killed 148 in Nicaragua and 68 in other nations.
Hugo, 1989 - caused $10 billion damage and killed 76, mostly in the Carolinas, Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe, Montserrat, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Diana, 1990 - killed 96 in Mexico.
Klaus, 1990 - a weak storm that burst a dam in Georgia, killing 4.
Bob, 1991 - struck New England and the Canadian Maritimes, killing 18.
Andrew†, 1992 - costliest American natural disaster ever at $26.5 billion and over 23 deaths.
Luis, 1995 - caused much damage to St. Martin, Antigua, Barbuda, and the British Virgin Islands.
Marilyn, 1995 - caused much damage to St. Thomas.
Opal, 1995 - killed 59 in Guatemala, Mexico and the United States, causing $3 billion damage.
Roxanne, 1995 - hit same area of Mexico as Opal, killing 14 and causing $1.5 billion damage.
Cesar, 1996 - flooded Central America.
Fran, 1996 - killed 26 and caused $3.2 billion damage after striking Cape Fear, North Carolina.
Hortense, 1996 - killed 21 from floods.
Georges, 1998 - killed 533 in Hispaniola, caused $5.9 billion damage in the United States.
Mitch, 1998 - killed about 11,000 in Honduras and neighboring countries, more than any storm in over 200 years.
Floyd, 1999 - flooded eastern North Carolina, killing 77 in multiple states and causing $6 billion damage.
Lenny, 1999 - killed 17 in the Lesser Antilles.
Keith, 2000 - killed 70 in Central America.
Allison‡, 2001 - flooded Texas and caused $5 billion damage and 41 deaths.
Iris, 2001 - devastated Belize.
Michelle, 2001 - killed 17 in Honduras, Belize, Cuba and Jamaica.
Isidore, 2002 - killed 7 and caused $330 million damage over Yucatan and the United States.
Lili, 2002 - killed 13, mostly in St. Vincent and Jamaica, and caused $860 million damage to the United States.
Fabian, 2003 - did serious damage to Bermuda, killing 8
Isabel, 2003 - a large storm that hit Washington, D.C. and other northeast areas from North Carolina to the Great Lakes, killing 51.
Juan, 2003 - first strong hurricane to hit Halifax, Nova Scotia in over 100 years.

Hurricane names expected to be retired, but not officially retired yet; a case has been made from the National Hurricane Center and a decision will come from the WMO in April 2005:

Charley, 2004 - devastated southwest Florida with $14 billion damage
Frances, 2004 - struck the Bahamas and central Florida causing $9 billion in damage and flooded the Appalachians
Ivan, 2004 - monster storm that flattened Grenada and also devastated the Cayman Islands, Cuba, Jamaica and the eastern United States
Jeanne, 2004 - killed over 3,000 in Haiti and hit central Florida in the same area as Frances, causing $6 billion in damage.

Unnamed but historically significant

The Great Colonial Hurricane of 1635 - First recorded hurricane to hit New England
The Great Hurricane of 1780 - Deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record, over 20,000 killed
The Great September Gale of 1815
Galveston Hurricane of 1900 - Deadliest natural disaster in American history.
The Great Miami Hurricane of 1926-Florida's economy didn't even begin to recover until the 1950s.
The Lake Okeechobee Hurricane of 1928-Second deadliest hurricane in US history.
The Great August Gale of 1934 - A surprise hurricane which struck Canada.
Labor Day Hurricane of 1935† - struck the Florida Keys, strongest storm to ever hit the United States.
The Great New England Hurricane of 1938 - Killed 600.
1943 Surprise Hurricane - First intentional flight into a hurricane
The Perfect Storm of 1991

Longest-lived Atlantic tropical cyclones

Storms which have lived longer than twenty days:

Puerto Rico Hurricane in August 1899 lasted 31 days.
Hurricane Ginger in September 1971 lasted 27.25 days.
Hurricane Inga in September 1969 lasted 24.75 days.
Hurricane Kyle in October 2002 and Hurricane Ivan in September 2004 each lasted 22 days.
Hurricane Carrie in September 1957 and Storm 9 in September 1893 each lasted 20.75 days.
Hurricane Inez in September 1966 lasted 20.25 days.

Source: NOAA http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/E6.html, http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/ivan2004.html

Canadian hurricanes

Off-season storms

Hurricane Alice, 1954-formed in late December and continued until early January.
Tropical Storm Ana - First North Atlantic tropical system ever recorded to develop in April (2003).
Tropical Storm Odette - First tropical system to develop in December (2003) in 115 years.
Tropical Storm Peter - Second tropical system to develop in December (2003) in 115 years.

Deadliest Atlantic Hurricanes

Since 1851

Hurricane Mitch - 1998 - 9,086-18,277 Deaths
Galveston Hurricane - 1900 - 8,000-12,000 Deaths
Hurricane Fifi - 1974 - 8,000-10,000 Deaths
Dominican Republic Hurricane - 1930 - 2,000-8,000 Deaths
Hurricane Flora - 1963 - 7,200 Deaths
Puerto Rico Hurricane - 1899 - 3,433 Deaths
Lake Okeechobee Hurricane - 1928 - 3,411 Deaths
Cuba Hurricane - 1932 - 2,500-3,107 Deaths
Hurricane Jeanne - 2004 - 3,037 Deaths
Yucatan Hurricane - 1934 - 2,000-3,000 Deaths
Belize Hurricane - 1931 - 1,500-2,500 Deaths
Caribbean Hurricane - 1935 - 2,150 Deaths
Hurricane David - 1979 - 2,060 Deaths
Straits of Florida Hurricane - 1870 - 2,000 Deaths
'Chenier Caminada' Hurricane - 1893 - 2,000 Deaths
Sea Islands Hurricane - 1893 - 1,000-2,000 Deaths
Mexico Hurricane - 1909 - 1,500 Deaths
Hurricane Gordon - 1994 - 1,145 Deaths
Hurricane Hazel - 1954 - 600-1,200 Deaths
Hurricane Inez - 1966 - 1,000 Deaths

Costliest U.S. Hurricanes

Adjusted for 2003 inflation and wealth normalization

Great Miami Hurricane - 1926 - $98,051,000,000
Hurricane Andrew - 1992 - $44,878,000,000
Galveston Hurricane of 1900 - 1900 - $36,096,000,000
Galveston Island Hurricane - 1915 - $30,585,000,000
Great New England Hurricane - 1938 - $22,549,000,000
Sanibel Island Hurricane - 1944 - $22,070,000,000
Lake Okeechobee Hurricane - 1928 - $18,708,000,000
Hurricane Ivan - 2004 - $18,000,000,000
Hurricane Betsy - 1965 - $16,863,000,000
Hurricane Donna - 1960 - $16,339,000,000
Hurricane Charley - 2004 - $15,000,000,000
Hurricane Camille - 1969 - $14,870,000,000
Hurricane Agnes - 1972 - $14,515,000,000
Hurricane Diane - 1955 - $13,875,000,000
Hurricane Hugo - 1989 - $12,718,000,000
Hurricane Carol - 1954 - $12,291,000,000
Miami Hurricane of 1947 - 1947 - $11,266,000,000
Hurricane Carla - 1961 - $9,587,000,000
Hurricane Hazel - 1954 - $9,545,000,000
Hurricane Frances - 2004 - $9,000,000,000
Great Atlantic Hurricane - 1944- $8,763,000,000
Southeast Florida Hurricane - 1945 - $8,561,000,000
Hurricane Frederic - 1945 - $8,534,000,000
Central Florida Hurricane - 1949 - $7,918,000,000
South Texas Hurricane - 1919 - $7,253,000,000
Hurricane Jeanne - 2004 - $7,000,000,000
Hurricane Alicia - 1983 - $5,501,000,000
Tropical Storm Allison - 2001 - $5,408,000,000
Hurricane Floyd - 1999 - $5,264,000,000
Hurricane Celia - 1970 - $4,526,000,000

http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/E12.html

Forgotten but significant hurricanes

The Last Island Hurricane of 1856-400 people dead. The island and the resort on it never resurfaced.
The Indianola Hurricane of 1886 - destroyed Indianola, Texas.
The New York Hurricane of 1893-A Category 1 went straight down Broadway.
The Sea Islands Hurricane of 1893-Killed 2,000 people on the Georgia and South Carolina coasts.
The Chenier Caminada Hurricane of 1893-Killed 2,000 people in Louisiana.
The Puerto Rico Hurricane of 1899-Treversed the Atlantic for 31 days.
The March Hurricane of 1908-Hurricane reached Category 2 strength in March.
The Dominican Republic Hurricane of 1930-Killed 8,000 people
The Miami Hurricane of 1947-Stormed through Miami just weakened from a Category 5.
Alice, 1954-55-Formed after Christmas and continued into January.

South Atlantic basin

The Angola Cyclone, 1991-a tropical storm formed off Angola in April.
The January Storm, 2004-a cyclone of depression and possibly storm strength formed in January.
Cyclone Catarina, 2004 - first positively observed hurricane in the South Atlantic Ocean.

Most Tornadoes Produced By Hurricanes

Hurricane Frances (2004) - 117
Hurricane Beulah (1967) - 115
Hurricane Ivan (2004) - 113
Hurricane Allen(1980) - 29
Hurricane Alicia(1983) - 23
Hurricane Celia(1970) - 8
Hurricane Carla(1961) - 8
Hurricane Andrew(1992) - ?????

Eastern Pacific basin

Retired names

Longest-lived Eastern Pacific storm

John, 1994

Central Pacific basin

Retired names

Iwa, 1982
Iniki, 1992, Hawaii

Western Pacific basin

Named

Unnamed

The Great Hong Kong Typhoon, 1937
The Typhoon of 1944, 17-18 December, three US destroyers lost

Australian tropical cyclones

See History - Australia's worst cyclone disasters (from Queensland Government State Disaster Management Group).

Cyclone Mahina, 1899 - over 300 people died.
Tropical Cyclone Ada, 1970 - 14 people died and costed approximately 390 million AUD.
Cyclone Tracy, 1974 - 65 people died
Tropical Cyclone Winifred, 1986 - 3 people died
Tropical Cyclone Justin, 1997 - 7 people died and costed approximately 190 million AUD.
Cyclone Ingrid, 2005

Most intense storms on record

Typhoon Tip - 870 mb, Western Pacific, 1979
Typhoon Zeb - 872 mb, Western Pacific, 1998
Typhoon Gay - 872 mb, Western Pacific, 1992
Typhoon Keith - 872 mb, Western Pacific, 1997
Typhoon Joan - 872 mb, Western Pacific, 1997
Typhoon Ivan - 872 mb, Western Pacific, 1997
Typhoon Forrest - 876 mb, Western Pacific, 1983
Typhoon Chaba - 879 mb, Western Pacific, 2004
Typhoon Yuri - 885 mb, Western Pacific, 1991
Hurricane Gilbert - 888 mb, Atlantic, 1988
Typhoon Nancy - 888 mb, Western Pacific, 1961
Labor Day Hurricane - 892 mb, Atlantic, 1935
Hurricane Allen - 899 mb, Atlantic, 1980
Hurricane Linda - 900 mb, Eastern Pacific, 1997
Hurricane Camille - 905 mb, Atlantic Ocean, 1969
Hurricane Mitch - 905 mb, Atlantic Ocean, 1998
Hurricane Ivan - 910 mb, Atlantic Ocean, 2004
Hurricane Janet - 914 mb, Atlantic Ocean, 1955
Hurricane Ava - 915 mb, Eastern Pacific, 1973
Hurricane Hugo - 918 mb, Atlantic Ocean, 1989

http://www.weatherwatchers.org/tropical/1998/13/mitch.html

Note: Several Western Pacific storms that have achieved pressure readings of between 880 and 915mb and are not included because they are so common in that part of the world or so unknown. Also pressure readings from the Indian Ocean are not available.

Size extremes

Typhoon Tip is the largest tropical cyclone on record at 1350 miles (2170 km) wide, October (1979)
Cyclone Tracy is the smallest tropical cyclone on record at 30 miles (48 km) wide, December (1974)

Notes

†: a very severe hurricane (category 5 at landfall on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale)
‡: a tropical storm, not a hurricane