25 costliest hurricanes of all time
Stacker took a look at NOAA data to extrapolate the costliest hurricanes of all time. In this gallery, you'll find the peak category of the storm, the year it occurred, and how much damage it caused.
Costly storms
On the afternoon of Sept. 28, Hurricane Ian made landfall in Southwest Florida as a Category 4 storm. Winds reached 150mph, just a few miles shy of a Category 5 classification. Only four Category 5 hurricanes have ever hit the U.S., the most recent one being Hurricane Michael in 2018.
By the following morning, at least 2.5 million households in Florida had lost power. Storm surges caused life-threatening floods throughout West and Central Florida, the hurricane destroyed roads, bridges, and houses, and excessive rains caused inland rivers to break record flood levels. Ian continued to move up the Atlantic Coast before making landfall again, this time as a Category 1 storm, in South Carolina.
A single hurricane can cause billions of dollars in damage, not to mention the physical and emotional toll it takes on those in its path. Over the past five years, hurricanes Laura, Ida, Harvey, Irma, and Maria have caused extensive damage and death tolls. The full impact of Ian will come into sharper focus in the coming days and weeks.
Hurricane recovery plans include everything from the basic distribution of food and water supplies to rebuilding highways, energy grid improvements, and far-reaching infrastructure upgrades. Recovering after extensive hurricane damage can take years and can sometimes be sidetracked by additional storms.
2022's Atlantic hurricane season, which lasts roughly from June 1 to Nov. 30, has been quieter than meteorologists predicted. Before Ian, three other hurricanes formed, two of which dissolved before landfall. Hurricane Fiona, a storm that first made landfall in Puerto Rico on Sep. 18 as Category 1 and wrought damage across the Caribbean as it strengthened, was the season's first major hurricane. Still, the span between August and September represents just part of the peak range for Atlantic hurricanes, with October's forecast not yet clear.
Stacker took a look at NOAA data to extrapolate the costliest hurricanes of all time. In this gallery, you'll find the category of the storm, the year it occurred, and how much damage it caused. Tropical storms, defined as cyclones with winds less than 74 mph, are not included in the analysis. The data includes hurricanes that impacted Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the cost listed is in current U.S. dollars which have been adjusted for inflation. This data also addresses the cost of these hurricanes to the U.S. (and its territories), not to other countries or regions. More information on the methodology can be found at the National Hurricane Center.
Read on for the costliest hurricanes of all time.
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#25. Alicia
- Estimated cost: $8.8 billion
- Category 3
- Start date: Aug. 17, 1983
- End date: Aug. 20, 1983
- Deaths: 21
#24. Opal
- Estimated cost: $8.9 billion
- Category 3
- Start date: Oct. 04, 1995
- End date: Oct. 06, 1995
- Deaths: 27
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#23. Fran
- Estimated cost: $9.3 billion
- Category 3
- Start date: Sep. 05, 1996
- End date: Sep. 08, 1996
- Deaths: 37
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#22. Georges
- Estimated cost: $10.7 billion
- Category 3
- Start date: Sep. 20, 1998
- End date: Sep. 29, 1998
- Deaths: 16
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#21. Floyd
- Estimated cost: $11.3 billion
- Category 2
- Start date: Sep. 14, 1999
- End date: Sep. 16, 1999
- Deaths: 77
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#20. Jeanne
- Estimated cost: $11.5 billion
- Category 3
- Start date: Sep. 15, 2004
- End date: Sep. 29, 2004
- Deaths: 28
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#19. Matthew
- Estimated cost: $12.1 billion
- Category 2
- Start date: Oct. 08, 2016
- End date: Oct. 12, 2016
- Deaths: 49
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#18. Frances
- Estimated cost: $15.1 billion
- Category 2
- Start date: Sep. 03, 2004
- End date: Sep. 09, 2004
- Deaths: 48
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#17. Irene
- Estimated cost: $17.4 billion
- Category 1
- Start date: Aug. 26, 2011
- End date: Aug. 28, 2011
- Deaths: 45
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#16. Hugo
- Estimated cost: $21.1 billion
- Category 3
- Start date: Sep. 21, 1989
- End date: Sep. 22, 1989
- Deaths: 86
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#15. Charley
- Estimated cost: $24.6 billion
- Category 4
- Start date: Aug. 13, 2004
- End date: Aug. 14, 2004
- Deaths: 35
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#14. Laura
- Estimated cost: $26.0 billion
- Category 4
- Start date: Aug. 27, 2020
- End date: Aug. 28, 2020
- Deaths: 42
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#13. Rita
- Estimated cost: $27.2 billion
- Category 3
- Start date: Sep. 20, 2005
- End date: Sep. 24, 2005
- Deaths: 119
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#12. Florence
- Estimated cost: $27.8 billion
- Category 1
- Start date: Sep. 13, 2018
- End date: Sep. 16, 2018
- Deaths: 53
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#11. Wilma
- Estimated cost: $27.9 billion
- Category 3
- Start date: Oct. 24, 2005
- End date: Oct. 24, 2005
- Deaths: 35
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#10. Michael
- Estimated cost: $29.0 billion
- Category 5
- Start date: Oct. 10, 2018
- End date: Oct. 11, 2018
- Deaths: 49
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#9. Ivan
- Estimated cost: $31.6 billion
- Category 3
- Start date: Sep. 12, 2004
- End date: Sep. 21, 2004
- Deaths: 57
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#8. Ike
- Estimated cost: $40.2 billion
- Category 2
- Start date: Sep. 12, 2008
- End date: Sep. 14, 2008
- Deaths: 112
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#7. Andrew
- Estimated cost: $55.9 billion
- Category 5
- Start date: Aug. 23, 1992
- End date: Aug. 27, 1992
- Deaths: 61
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#6. Irma
- Estimated cost: $59.5 billion
- Category 4
- Start date: Sep. 06, 2017
- End date: Sep. 12, 2017
- Deaths: 97
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#5. Ida
- Estimated cost: $78.7 billion
- Category 4
- Start date: Aug. 29, 2021
- End date: Sep. 01, 2021
- Deaths: 96
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#4. Sandy
- Estimated cost: $82.0 billion
- Category 1
- Start date: Oct. 30, 2012
- End date: Oct. 31, 2012
- Deaths: 159
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#3. Maria
- Estimated cost: $107.1 billion
- Category 4
- Start date: Sep. 19, 2017
- End date: Sep. 21, 2017
- Deaths: 2,981
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#2. Harvey
- Estimated cost: $148.8 billion
- Category 4
- Start date: Aug. 25, 2017
- End date: Aug. 31, 2017
- Deaths: 89
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#1. Katrina
- Estimated cost: $186.3 billion
- Category 3
- Start date: Aug. 25, 2005
- End date: Aug. 30, 2005
- Deaths: 1,833
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#25. Opal
- Estimated cost: $9.2 billion
- Category: 3
- Start date: October 4, 1995
- End date: October 6, 1995
- Deaths: 27
#24. Fran
- Estimated cost: $9.6 billion
- Category: 3
- Start date: September 5, 1996
- End date: September 8, 1996
- Deaths: 37
#23. Georges
- Estimated cost: $11.0 billion
- Category: 2
- Start date: September 20, 1998
- End date: September 29, 1998
- Deaths: 16
#22. Floyd
- Estimated cost: $11.7 billion
- Category: 1
- Start date: September 14, 1999
- End date: September 16, 1999
- Deaths: 77
#21. Jeanne
- Estimated cost: $11.9 billion
- Category: 3
- Start date: September 15, 2004
- End date: September 29, 2004
- Deaths: 28
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#20. Matthew
- Estimated cost: $12.5 billion
- Category: 2
- Start date: October 8, 2016
- End date: October 12, 2016
- Deaths: 49
#19. Frances
- Estimated cost: $15.6 billion
- Category: 2
- Start date: September 3, 2004
- End date: September 9, 2004
- Deaths: 48
#18. Irene
- Estimated cost: $17.9 billion
- Category: 2
- Start date: August 26, 2011
- End date: August 28, 2011
- Deaths: 45
#17. Hugo
- Estimated cost: $21.7 billion
- Category: 4
- Start date: September 21, 1989
- End date: September 22, 1989
- Deaths: 86
#16. Charley
- Estimated cost: $25.4 billion
- Category: 1
- Start date: August 13, 2004
- End date: August 14, 2004
- Deaths: 35
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#15. Laura
- Estimated cost: $26.9 billion
- Category: 4
- Start date: August 27, 2020
- End date: August 28, 2020
- Deaths: 42
#14. Rita
- Estimated cost: $28.1 billion
- Category: 3
- Start date: September 20, 2005
- End date: September 24, 2005
- Deaths: 119
#13. Florence
- Estimated cost: $28.8 billion
- Category: 1
- Start date: September 13, 2018
- End date: September 16, 2018
- Deaths: 53
#12. Wilma
- Estimated cost: $28.9 billion
- Category: 3
- Start date: October 24, 2005
- End date: October 24, 2005
- Deaths: 35
#11. Michael
- Estimated cost: $29.7 billion
- Category: 5
- Start date: October 10, 2018
- End date: October 11, 2018
- Deaths: 49
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#10. Ivan
- Estimated cost: $32.6 billion
- Category: 3
- Start date: September 12, 2004
- End date: September 21, 2004
- Deaths: 57
#9. Ike
- Estimated cost: $41.4 billion
- Category: 2
- Start date: September 12, 2008
- End date: September 14, 2008
- Deaths: 112
#8. Andrew
- Estimated cost: $57.8 billion
- Category: 5
- Start date: August 23, 1992
- End date: August 27, 1992
- Deaths: 61
#7. Irma
- Estimated cost: $61.0 billion
- Category: 4
- Start date: September 6, 2017
- End date: September 12, 2017
- Deaths: 97
#6. Ida
- Estimated cost: $80.9 billion
- Category: 4
- Start date: August 29, 2021
- End date: September 1, 2021
- Deaths: 96
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#5. Sandy
- Estimated cost: $84.6 billion
- Category: 1
- Start date: October 30, 2012
- End date: October 31, 2012
- Deaths: 159
#4. Maria
- Estimated cost: $109.8 billion
- Category: 5
- Start date: September 19, 2017
- End date: September 21, 2017
- Deaths: 2,981
#3. Ian
- Estimated cost: $114.0 billion
- Category: 4
- Start date: September 28, 2022
- End date: September 30, 2022
- Deaths: 152
#2. Harvey
- Estimated cost: $152.5 billion
- Category: 4
- Start date: August 25, 2017
- End date: August 31, 2017
- Deaths: 89
#1. Katrina
- Estimated cost: $192.5 billion
- Category: 3
- Start date: August 25, 2005
- End date: August 30, 2005
- Deaths: 1,833
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