Top 10 Super Storms Since 2000
1. Tropical Storm Allison 2001
Tropical Storm Allison hit southeast Texas on June 4th. It lasted for 15 days of the Atlantic hurricane season. Winds reached 59 miles-per-hour and resulted in 41 deaths. This storm caused $5.5 billion in damages- this equals $6.77 billion in 2010 currency.
2. Hurricane Charley 2004
Hurricane Charley hit Captiva Island in southwest Florida. It headed towards Orlando. Charley began on August 9 and went until August 15. It was a Category 4 Hurricane, with 150 mile-per-hour winds. Charley caused $16.3 billion in damages and resulted in 10 deaths. Oranges and grapefruit prices significantly increased throughout the U.S.
3. Hurricane Ivan 2004
Hurricane Ivan hit the Caribbean and the U.S. from September 2 to 26. Ivan passed from Granada through the Caribbean Sea, pass the north of Venezuela, south of Jamaica, then south of the Cayman Island, through the Gulf of Mexico and finally into the Mid-Atlantic states of the U.S. Ivan caused $18 billion in damages and resulted in 92 deaths. In Alabama, up to 489,000 people went without electricity.
4. Hurricane Frances 2004
Hurricane Frances hit the Caribbean, through the Bahamas, over Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, Ohio and then through Canada. Frances caused $12 billion in deaths and resulted in seven deaths. Winds reached up to 145 miles-per-hour, which resulted in destruction of some parts of the NASA facility.
5. Hurricane Katrina 2005
Hurricane Katrina is known as the deadliest and most destructive hurricanes to ever hit the U.S. Winds reached 174 miles-per-hour and it was a Category 5 Hurricane. Katrina lasted from August 23 to the 30th. Katrina destroyed Louisiana, especially New Orleans. It caused $81.2 billion in damages and resulted in 1, 836 deaths. Then President George W. Bush called a state of emergency, but it was too late. The lasting infrastructure and land effects of Hurricane Katrina can still be seen today.
6. Hurricane Wilma 2005
Hurricane Wilma devastated Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica and Florida. Wilma lasted from October 15 to the 26th. Wilma was known as the most intense tropical storm ever recorded in the Atlantic basin; it was a Category 5 Hurricane. The winds were 183 miles-per-hour, causing $29.1 billion in damages and 22 deaths.
7. Hurricane Ike 2008
Hurricane Ike was the third costliest storm to hit the U.S: it caused $37.6 in damages. Ike moved from Texas to Cuba to Mississippi to Florida, lasting from September 1 until September 14. Winds were up to 143 miles-per-hour with 50 deaths. Texas had their largest evacuation in history because of Ike.
8. Hurricane Irene 2011
From August 27 to 29, Hurricane Irene moved from: North Carolina to Virginia to New Jersey to New York to Vermont and then through New Hampshire. Irene caused $15.6 billion in damages and resulted in 56 deaths.
9. Hurricane Sandy 2012
From October 22 to 31, Hurricane Sandy hit the Caribbean. Sandy moved through Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba, killing 44 people. When Sandy hit the East Coast, it devastated New Jersey, New York and Connecticut with winds that reached up to 115 miles-per-hour. About 8 million people lost their electricity due to Sandy. Sandy caused about $30 billion in damages and 100 deaths, becoming the second costliest hurricane in the U.S. Sandy was the most destructive hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season.
10. Super Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda 2013
The typhoon in the Philippines is expected to become one of the worst storms on record, according to CNN. Typhoon Haiyan has devastated the Philippines flooding streets and causing mass power and communication outages throughout the islands. Storm clouds stretch 1, 120 miles, entirely over the Philippines.
About 125,000 people have taken refuge in evacuation centers because their homes have been destroyed. The winds have reached 195 miles-per-hour, with gust as fast as 235 mph.
Gov. Roger Mercado of Southern Leyte said, "We don't know the extent of the damage," he said. "We are trying to estimate this. We are prepared, but this is really a wallop." Only 3 deaths have been confirmed but the people believe the death toll is in the hundreds.
READ MORE: Philippines Super Typhoon The Strongest Ever?