Records
Deadliest storms in history, from 1780 to Mitch
Death tolls are the hardest number in this series. For the oldest storms they are reconstructions from scattered records, and the ranges are wide. Four records come up most often, each with its own range.
Deadliest tropical cyclone: the 1970 Bhola cyclone, roughly 300,000 to 500,000 deaths.
Deadliest Atlantic hurricane: the 1780 Great Hurricane, about 22,000 (estimates run from about 20,000 upward).
Deadliest US storm: the 1900 Galveston hurricane, about 6,000 to 12,000.
Deadliest modern Atlantic hurricane: Hurricane Mitch (1998), about 9,086 deaths in the NHC estimate, with 9,191 more listed as missing.
Bhola, 1970: the deadliest cyclone
The Bhola cyclone hit the Ganges delta in November 1970. Most of its victims drowned in the storm surge that swept over low islands and coastal districts. In Tazumuddin upazila more than 45% of a population of about 167,000 died. A WMO expert committee reviewed historical cyclone tolls in 2017 and ranked Bhola first, using the low-end estimate of 300,000 as the best documented figure. Other estimates reach 500,000 or more, because the census records needed for an exact count did not exist.
The 1780 Great Hurricane: the deadliest Atlantic storm
The Great Hurricane struck the Lesser Antilles in October 1780, wrecked Barbados and passed near Puerto Rico and Hispaniola. Estimates of its death toll are about 22,000, and some run above 20,000. An estimated 9,000 people died on Martinique alone. The storm predates modern tracking, so its track and strength are reconstructed from records of the time.
Galveston, 1900: the deadliest US storm
The Galveston hurricane made landfall on 8 September 1900 and destroyed much of the city and island. Most estimates of the death toll fall between 6,000 and 12,000, and the figure most often cited is about 8,000. It remains the deadliest natural disaster in US history, far ahead of the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane at about 2,500 deaths.
Mitch, 1998: the deadliest modern Atlantic hurricane
Mitch struck Central America in late October 1998. The NHC report estimates 9,086 deaths and 9,191 people missing, and it notes the exact toll will probably never be known. Other summaries put the total at 11,374. Only the 1780 storm ranks above Mitch among Atlantic hurricanes.