Historical Natural Disasters
Deadliest rankings Glossary On this day US winter storms
Documented major disasters with sourced figures. Coverage note: historical records depend on available documentation — reliable global records improve dramatically after ~1900, and casualty figures for older events are estimates that vary between sources. Each entry cites its sources and uncertainty.
45 records found
| Event | Type | Country | Date | Fatalities | Damage (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 Great Hanshin (Kobe) Earthquake | Earthquake | Japan | 1995-01-17 | 6,434 | $100.0B |
| 1991 Bangladesh Cyclone | Hurricane / Cyclone / Typhoon | Bangladesh | 1991-04-29 | 138,000 | $1.7B |
| 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake | Earthquake | United States | 1989-10-17 | 63 | $6.0B |
| 1985 Nevado del Ruiz Eruption (Armero Tragedy) | Volcanic Activity | Colombia | 1985-11-13 | 23,000 | $1.0B |
| 1976 Tangshan Earthquake | Earthquake | China | 1976-07-28 | 242,000 | $10.0B |
| 1970 Bhola Cyclone | Hurricane / Cyclone / Typhoon | Bangladesh | 1970-11-12 | 300,000 | $0.1B |
| 1970 Bhola Cyclone | Hurricane / Cyclone / Typhoon | Bangladesh | 1970-11-12 | 300,000 | $0.1B |
| 1970 Ancash Earthquake and Yungay Landslide | Earthquake | Peru | 1970-05-31 | 67,000 | — |
| 1962 Columbus Day Storm | Hurricane / Cyclone / Typhoon | United States | 1962-10-12 | 46 | $0.2B |
| Hurricane Hazel, 15 October 1954 | Hurricane / Cyclone / Typhoon | United States | 1954-10-15 | 1,200 | $0.4B |
| The 1939 California Tropical Storm, 25 September 1939 | Hurricane / Cyclone / Typhoon | United States | 1939-09-25 | 93 | $0.0B |
| 1931 China Floods | Flood | China | 1931-07-01 | 400,000 | — |
| The Great Lakes Storm of 1913 — the "White Hurricane" | Hurricane / Cyclone / Typhoon | United States | 1913-11-07 | 250 | $0.0B |
| 1908 Messina Earthquake and Tsunami | Earthquake | Italy | 1908-12-28 | 80,000 | — |
| 1900 Galveston Hurricane | Hurricane / Cyclone / Typhoon | United States | 1900-09-08 | 8,000 | $0.0B |
| 1887 Yellow River Flood | Flood | China | 1887-09-28 | 900,000 | — |
| 1883 Krakatoa Eruption and Tsunami | Volcanic Activity | Indonesia | 1883-08-27 | 36,000 | — |
| 1815 Mount Tambora Eruption | Volcanic Activity | Indonesia | 1815-04-10 | 71,000 | — |
| 1755 Lisbon Earthquake and Tsunami | Earthquake | Portugal | 1755-11-01 | 50,000 | — |
| 1556 Shaanxi Earthquake | Earthquake | China | 1556-01-23 | 830,000 | — |