Truth Be Told about United States Severe Weather history

1776 The Pointe-à-Pitre hurricane was at one point the deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record. At least 6,000 fatalities occurred on Guadeloupe, which was a higher death toll than any known hurricane before it. It also struck Louisiana, but there was no warning nor knowledge of the deaths on Guadeloupe when it did. It also affected Antigua and Martinique early in its duration.

1780 – The Great Hurricane of 1780, also known as Hurricane San Calixto is considered the deadliest Atlantic tropical cyclone of all time. About 22,000 people died when the storm swept over Martinique, St. Eustatius and Barbados between October 10 and October 16. Thousands of deaths also occurred offshore. Reports of this hurricane took weeks to reach US newspapers of the era.

Galveston Hurricane of 1900. Winds estimated at 140 mph swept over the island, leaving devastation in their wake. After the storm surge of 15.7 feet subsided, Galvestonians left their shelters to find 6,000 of the city's 37,000 residents dead and more than 3,600 buildings totally destroyed.

Blizzard of 1888 More than 400 people in the Northeast died during the Great Blizzard, the worst death toll in United States history for a winter storm. On March 11 and March 12 in 1888, this devastating nor'easter dumped 40 to 50 inches (100 to 127 cm) of snow in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York. Huge snowdrifts buried houses and trains, and 200 ships sank in waves whipped up by fierce winds.

Blizzard of 1899 From Georgia to Maine, a punishing storm shut down the Eastern Seaboard beginning Feb. 11, 1899. The wintry weather brought record-low temperatures, some of which still stand today, as well as record snowfall. The snow showers started in Florida and moved north, dropping 20 inches (50 centimeters) in Washington, D.C., in a single day and a record 34 inches (86 cm) in New Jersey.

A blizzard with hurricane-force winds, this devastating storm is the deadliest natural disaster to ever hit the Great Lakes region. More than 250 people died when the winter whopper, called a November gale, struck the Great Lakes on Nov. 7, 1913. Waves on the lakes reached 35 feet high (10 meters) and the storm's sustained wind speed reached 60 mph (96 km/h) for more than half a day.

Tornado of 1925 Most severe tornado in history the infamous "Tri-State Tornado" of 1925 takes the top spot by a wide margin. First, the death toll was double that of the next deadliest U.S. tornado (Natchez, Miss. in 1840).

Of the 695 total fatalities, 234 of those were in the town of Murphysboro, Ill., the single greatest tornado death toll in any U.S. city.

Tragically, 33 other deaths occurred at a school inDe Soto, Ill.  There were at least 9 total tornadoes on this March day, claiming a total of 747 lives in 7 states (Kan., Mo., Ill., Ind., Ala., Tenn., Ky.).

Then, there's the incredible path. Due to data quality issues in the 1920s, it hardly seems possible a tornado could churn over a 219-mile long path. However, research studies have not been able to conclusively find a break in the tornado's path. A 2008 reanalysis project by a team lead by Dr. Charles Doswell has suggested the tornado's path length could be 15 miles longer, touching down earlier in southern Missouri.

 

Georgia/Mississippi tornado 1936 As if the "Dust Bowl" and "Great Depression" weren't enough to worry about, a two-day Southern tornado outbreak culminated in a destructive tornado event in Gainesville, northeast of Atlanta on Apr. 6, 1936. 419 dead and 2000 injured.