Hurricanes in History: Firsts and Worst

Posted by on June 26, 2013 in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Hurricanes in History: Firsts and Worst

Hurricanes have played a large part in the history of coastal regions. From economic destruction to devastating fatalities, hurricanes have gained fame as some of the most influential natural disasters. Check out these 10 facts about the hurricane firsts and worsts in history!

  1. The first known hurricane to be recorded was written about by Christopher Columbus on June 16, 1494. 
  2. The first unofficially named hurricane was George in 1947, while the first officially named hurricane was Able in 1950.
  3. The strongest hurricane, based on wind speed, was Hurricane Camille, which hit in 1969 with estimated wind speeds of 174 knots.
  4. The largest hurricane in the U.S. was Hurricane Sandy, which hit in 2005 and was approximately 945 miles in diameter.
  5. The costliest hurricane in the U.S. was Hurricane Katrina, which hit in 2005 and cost $105 billion.
  6. The longest-lasting hurricane was Hurricane San Ciriaco, which hit in 1899 and lasted 27.75 days.
  7. The farthest-traveled hurricane was Hurricane Faith, which traveled 6850 miles when it hit in 1966.
  8. The most intense hurricane was Hurricane Wilma in 2005, which had a barometric pressure of 882 hPa. 
  9. The deadliest hurricane in the U.S. was the Great Galveston Hurricane, which caused 8,000 deaths when it hit in 1900.
  10. The deadliest hurricane in history is the Bhola Cyclone, which claimed between 150,000-300,000 lives when it hit Bangladesh in 1970.