Galveston, Texas, 1900
6,000 to 12,000 dead
Known by locals as the Great Storm, this unnamed hurricane hit Galveston with winds up to 135 m.p.h. (220 km/h) and 15-ft. (4.5 m) tides that swept over Barrier Island. Unfortunately for the residents of Galveston, meteorology was far from an exact science at the end of the 19th century, and they received very little warning about the storm's strength. Even if one uses the low estimate of 6,000 victims, this storm remains the deadliest ever to hit the U.S. coast.

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