50 Amazing Hurricane Facts
Most deadly hurricane
Based on historical data available, The Great Hurricane of 1780 was the deadliest Atlantic basin storm from the period of 1492 onward, according to a National Hurricane Center study. It is estimated to have killed 22,000 people across the Caribbean.
Typical season
An average Atlantic hurricane season produces 11 named storms, six hurricanes and two major hurricanes.
Late strike
Hurricane Kate in 1985 was the latest hurricane to strike the United States. It made landfall on Nov. 21.
Advanced appearances
When Tropical Storm Debby formed on June 23, 2012, it marked the first time the Atlantic basin saw four named storms before July 1 since record keeping began in 1851.
Hawaiian crisis
The deadliest and costliest hurricane to ever hit Hawaii (in modern times) was Hurricane Iniki, which struck on Sept. 12, 1992 and caused about $3 billion in damage adjusted for inflation. The storm killed four people and affected 14,000 homes, according to the Weather Channel.
Safer waters, considering
Only four hurricanes have made direct hits on Hawaii in the last 60 years, according to the Weather Channel: Nina in 1957, Dot in 1959, Iwa in 1982 and Iniki in 1992.
Bigger, faster
Hurricanes and other tropical cyclones reach Category 3 wind speeds (between 111 and 129 mph, or 178 and 208 kph) nearly nine hours earlier than they did 25 years ago, a 2012 study in the journal Geophysical Research Letters found.
Safety zone
2010 was the first year since 1900 that saw 10 or more hurricanes develop without one hitting the United States.
One-in-four odds
Historically, one in four Atlantic hurricanes strikes the United States as a hurricane.
