Hurricanes
All the Category 5 Storms That Have Slammed the U.S.
Category 5 is as powerful as a hurricane can get under the Saffir-Simpson scale. These monster storms pack wind speeds of 157 miles per hour or more. Since 1924, there have been 35 documented hurricanes in the North Atlantic that reached this level—and of those, five have hit ...read more
The Deadliest Natural Disasters in U.S. History
Mother Nature can be merciless. From the churning hurricanes of the Gulf Coast, to the trailer-tossing storms of Tornado Alley, to the ground-pounding quakes of California, the United States is no stranger to deadly natural disasters. Here are five of the worst natural disasters ...read more
2017 Events
From the inauguration of Donald Trump to the first total solar eclipse to traverse the Lower 48 in nearly a century, 2017 was a year for the history books. Here we review the biggest news in politics, culture and science this year. Politics Trump’s inauguration: After a ...read more
How an Obscure 1920 U.S. Law is Crippling Puerto Rico’s Recovery
Sometimes laws are passed with the stated goal of improving the whole of the United States, when really they’re just aimed at addressing one tiny issue. Such is the case with the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, which received renewed scrutiny in September 2017 after Hurricane Maria ...read more
Why Hurricane Harvey is Poised to Become America’s Costliest Storm
Up until 2017, Hurricane Katrina was the most expensive natural disaster in U.S. history. After the storm devastated New Orleans in 2005, the federal government spent $120.5 billion to help the city and other affected areas recover (roughly $150 billion in 2017 dollars). Most of ...read more
How the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 Became the Deadliest U.S. Natural Disaster
The deadliest natural disaster in American history remains the 1900 hurricane in the island city of Galveston, Texas. On September 8, a category four hurricane descended on the town, destroying more than 3,600 buildings with winds surpassing 135 miles per hour. Estimates of the ...read more
Why Hurricanes and Tropical Storms Were Only Named After Women
Tropical Storm Emily surprised Florida without much warning on Monday, July 31, 2017. By that Tuesday, Emily had been downgraded from a “tropical storm” to a “depression,” which meant it was time for internet jokes about Emily and her feelings. Although the World Meteorological ...read more
The Deadliest Atlantic Hurricane
1780 was among the worst years in history for North Atlantic hurricanes. The season kicked off in mid-June when a squall formed in the Caribbean and tore across St. Lucia and Puerto Rico. In August, two more storms struck the Caribbean islands and New Orleans, killing dozens of ...read more
The Killer Hurricane That Surprised the Northeast, 75 Years Ago
As dawn broke over the New England coast on September 21, 1938, the rising sun burned away the soft morning fog and left behind wispy clouds and hopes for one final beach day in summer’s fleeting hours. In the morning newspapers, only the most diligent of readers would have ...read more
Will Hurricane Irene Spawn a Baby Boom?
The legend of the calamity-induced baby boom dates back to the so-called Great Blackout, which plunged an immense swath of Canada and the United States into darkness for up to 13 hours on November 9, 1965. The disruption occurred when an overloaded transmission line in Ontario ...read more
Why Do Hurricanes Have Names?
For as long as people have been tracking and reporting hurricanes, also known as tropical cyclones, they’ve been struggling to find ways to identify them. Until well into the 20th century, newspapers and forecasters in the United States devised names for storms that referenced ...read more
The Great New England Hurricane
Without warning, a powerful Category 3 hurricane slams into Long Island and southern New England, causing 600 deaths and devastating coastal cities and towns. Also called the Long Island Express, the Great New England Hurricane of 1938 was the most destructive storm to strike the ...read more
Great Hurricane of 1780
In October 1780, a powerful storm slammed the islands of the Caribbean, killing more than 20,000 people. Known as the Great Hurricane of 1780, it is among the deadliest storms ever recorded. Specifics about the hurricane, such as its exact point of origin and strength, are ...read more
Millions flee from Hurricane Floyd
Millions of people evacuate their homes as Hurricane Floyd moves across the Atlantic Ocean on September 14, 1999. Over the next several days, deaths are recorded from the Bahamas to New England due to the powerful storm. Floyd began as a tropical storm on September 7 and attained ...read more
Hurricane sinks Spanish treasure ships
A hurricane strikes the east coast of Florida, sinking 10 Spanish treasure ships and killing nearly 1,000 people, on July 31, 1715. All of the gold and silver onboard at the time would not be recovered until 250 years later. From 1701, Spain sent fleets of ships to the ...read more
Hurricane Donna is born
On August 29, 1960, the storm that would become Hurricane Donna forms near Cape Verde off the African coast. It would go on to cause 150 deaths from Puerto Rico to New England over the next two weeks. On August 31, Donna attained hurricane status and headed west toward the ...read more
Hurricane Gilbert slams Jamaica
Hurricane Gilbert slams into Jamaica, killing hundreds of people, on September 12, 1988. The storm went on to cause death and destruction in Mexico and spur a batch of tornadoes in Texas. On September 10, Gilbert attained hurricane status west of the Dominican Republic. ...read more
Hurricane David is born
On August 25, 1979, the storm that will become Hurricane David forms near Cape Verde off the African coast in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. It would go on to devastate the island of Dominica, and then the Dominican Republic, killing 1,500 people. On August 27, two days after ...read more
Deadly hurricane batters Texas
One of the deadliest hurricanes in U.S. history hits Galveston, Texas, on September 8, 1900, killing more than 6,000 people. The storm caused so much destruction on the Texas coast that reliable estimates of the number of victims are difficult to make. Some believe that as many ...read more
Hurricane Mitch
Hurricane Mitch struck Central America in late October 1998, leaving more than 11,000 people dead, destroying hundreds of thousands of homes and causing more than $5 billion in damages. It was the deadliest hurricane to hit the Western Hemisphere in more than 200 years. ...read more
1900 Galveston Hurricane
On September 8, 1900, a Category 4 hurricane ripped through Galveston, Texas, killing an estimated 6,000 to 8,000 people. At the time of the 1900 hurricane, Galveston, nicknamed the Oleander City, was filled with vacationers. Sophisticated weather forecasting technology didn’t ...read more