16 of the Most Catastrophic Storms in World History

As Hurricane Beryl bears down on the state of Texas last week, it seemed fitting to explore large, destructive storms that have affected other parts of the world throughout history. While a hurricane denotes a type of storm that forms over mild-temperature waters in the Atlantic Ocean, these types of storms rarely cause the level of destruction seen in other parts of the world. The biggest culprits for widespread death are undoubtedly cyclones and typhoons. No matter how you slice it, these end up being the most catastrophic storms in world history.

By definition, cyclones and typhoons are rapidly rotating storm systems that form over large bodies of relatively warm water like the Bay of Bengal in the Indian Ocean or the Philippine Sea in the Pacific Ocean. These types of storms are strongest over water. They weaken relatively quickly upon landfall, but it often isn't enough to spare populated areas. Of all the deadliest storms, the worst seems to happen in Bangladesh and the South China Sea. While these storms unleash much destruction, the high death tolls often result from infrastructure collapse which leads to famine or disease outbreaks. In this article, we will explore 16 of the most catastrophic storms in world history. (For deadly weather in the US, discover 15 of the most destructive storms in US history.)

To compile a list of the 16 most catastrophic storms in world history, 24/7 Tempo consulted a range of history, weather, and news publications including Weather Underground, The National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh, and the National Review. Next, we selected storms from world history that caused the most amount of property damage and killed the most people. After that, we confirmed aspects of each storm using sites like Hurricanescience.org and The American Meteorological Society.

One of the most catastrophic storms in world history began forming over the central Bay of Bengal on November 8, 1970. As it traveled north, it intensified, before making landfall two days later in what is now Bangladesh. Carried by winds at speeds of over 89 mph, the Bola Cyclone utterly devastated the thirteen islands near Chittagong. Nearby Bhola Island, however, took most of the damage.

The Bola Cyclone destroyed over 85% of homes in the area and vaporized up to 9,000 offshore fishing boats. Of the 77,000 onshore fishermen affected, at least 46,000 were killed. Furthermore, it destroyed much of the area's fishing capacity in an area where most people relied on fish for food. Estimates put the total death count at a stunning 300,000 people. The Pakistani government, led by junta leader General Yahya Khan, faced criticism for its delayed relief response. The outcry became so great that it contributed to the Bangladesh Liberation War seven months later.

In late April of 1991, a storm formed over the Bay of Bengal and carved a meandering path over its southern waters. Four days later, however, the storm accelerated northwards and intensified thanks to southwesterly winds. On April 29th, the storm elevated to become the 1991 Bangladesh Cyclone, one of the most catastrophic storms in world history. Soon after, it made landfall in the Chittagong district of southeast Bangladesh, reaching speeds of up to 155 mph.

The 1991 Bangladesh Cyclone caused a 20-foot storm surge during high tide and proceeded to thrash the Bangladesh coast for over 12 hours. The storm destroyed over a million homes, leaving up to 10 million people instantly homeless. Estimates put the death toll at 138,000 people. In total, the cyclone caused over $1.5 billion in damages. The destruction was so great, that the United States government launched Operation Sea Angel, which became one of the largest military relief efforts in history.

A little less than 20 years later, another conspicuous storm developed over the Bay of Bengal. It formed on April 27, 2008, over the central part of the bay. Though dry air dampened the storm for a few days, it picked up speed on May 2nd as it made landfall in Myanmar. Its intensity produced a storm surge nearly 25 miles up the Irrawaddy Delta, causing untold destruction to the region.

As it made its way up the delta, Cyclone Nargis showed its might. It destroyed tens of thousands of buildings and practically flooded the entire region. Due to the junta political structure of Myanmar at the time, the government allegedly underreported deaths for fear of political fallout. Outside estimates, however, put the death toll at 138,373 people, though thousands more people were reported missing. In total, the Cyclone Nargis caused $12.9 billion worth of damage, making it one of the most catastrophic storms in world history.

Observers first spotted the Shantou Typhoon over the Caroline Islands on July 27, 1922. It made a slow path toward the Chinese coast, gradually gaining intensity along the Philippine Sea. After it crossed the northernmost part of the South China Sea, the typhoon made landfall near the city of Shantou, China on August 2nd. This caused a storm surge of twelve feet above normal.

Upon hitting the Chinese mainland, the 1922 Shantou Typhoon destroyed several full-size ships, laid waste to surrounding villages and developments, and practically pancaked the city of Shantou. While estimates are ambiguous, many put the death toll between 50,000 and 100,000 people. With millions of dollars in damage and a whole region laid to waste, the 1922 Shantou Typhoon remains one of the most catastrophic storms in world history.

Suffice it to say, the 1942 cyclone season was bad for countries surrounding the Bay of Bengal. As if taunting nearby regions, various typhoons and cyclones developed over the Bay starting in mid-February of 1942. Over the following months, over a dozen storms formed and threatened populated areas before dissolving. Between October 14–18, 1942, however, an intense cyclone formed over the Bay of Bengal and made landfall near the West Bengal/Odisha border of India.

Upon hitting the ground, the 1942 West Bengal Cyclone threw forth a twenty-foot tidal wave that flooded the region entirely. It destroyed thousands of homes and caused millions of dollars worth of damage. To make matters worse, the region was already suffering from a Cholera Outbreak. By the time the storm dissolved, over 61,000 people were killed, making the 1942 West Bengal Cyclone one of the most catastrophic storms in world history.

On August 13, 1912, a large storm formed over the Philippine Sea. It took another two weeks for the storm to evolve into a typhoon. From there, the typhoon set its sights on China, where it made landfall on August 29, 1912. Due to intense winds and heavy rainfall, the 1912 China Typhoon destroyed the Chinese coastline and quickly became one of the most catastrophic storms in world history.

Due to the large amount of rain it carried with it, the 1912 China Typhoon flooded the upper Wenzhou region before causing the Ou River to overrun its banks. This caused widespread destruction to communication networks and other infrastructure. The destruction was so severe that many observers mistook demolished towns for shipwrecks. The Shen Bao newspaper put the death toll at 220,000. More modern estimates, however, put the number of deaths at around 50,000. Due to a lack of support from the Chinese Central Government, the regional government stepped in and along with civilians, completed most of the recovery and relief effort.

On July 30, 1975, a tropical storm developed over the Philippine Sea. As it moved southwestward, the storm earned the name Nina. From there, it moved northwest, gaining intensity. Though it weakened in the intervening days, it soon made landfall on the island of Taiwan before entering the Formosa Straits and touching down again along the coast of China.

Upon hitting the ground in Taiwan, Typhoon Nina brought wind gusts between 115 and 138 mph, along with a heavy 28-inch rainfall. This triggered landslides and flooding which destroyed thousands of homes. After touching down in China, Nina brought an incredible 64.2 inches of rainfall. This severe amount of water destroyed 62 dams including the large-scale Banquiao dam. In all, the storm caused over $6.86 billion in damages. Directly, Typhoon Nina killed 62,000 people. Another 100,000 people, however, perished from the subsequent famine and disease brought about by Nina's wide-scale destruction.

Say what you will about the Bay of Bengal, but it produces some of the most catastrophic storms in world history. The 1963 Northern Indian Cyclone Season wasn't particularly brutal, however, until the formation of the 1963 Bangladesh Super Cyclone. On May 19, a storm formed over the Laccadive Islands before heading northwest toward the Arabian Peninsula. As the days progressed, the Super Cyclone gained intensity before it hit the Arabian coastline.

Though it retains the name of Bangladesh Super Cyclone, this severe storm mostly affected Arab countries like Oman. Indeed, when it made landfall near the city of Salalah in Oman, the cyclone destroyed thousands of buildings and caused millions of dollars worth of damage. In total, this cyclone killed an estimated 22,000 people and left another half a million people instantly homeless.

Due to its placement along the Bay of Bengal in southern India, the province of Coringa often bears the brunt of severe tropical storms. In 1789, a severe cyclone made landfall in the region and killed over 20,000 people. Though almost destroyed, Coringa managed to rebuild and its large port became more active than ever. In 1839, however, the region would face the wrath of one of the most catastrophic storms in world history, the 1839 Coringa Cyclone. On November 24, 1839, passing ships noted rainy weather over the Bay. Less than a day later, however, this rain transformed into a massive cyclone.

It made its entrance into Coringa via a 40-foot storm surge. This completely demolished the entire town, port, and surrounding areas. As thousands of houses washed into the ocean, it destroyed some 200,000 ships and washed an untold number of trees into the water. Estimates put the death toll at a stunning 300,000 people. The devastation was so widespread, that surviving inhabitants didn't even attempt to rebuild. Instead, they opted to abandon the town altogether. Interestingly, a British observer Henry Piddington, first coined the term cyclone, which means the coil of snake, while watching the Coringa storm unleash its might.

(For other civilization-flattening disasters, learn more about wildly destructive storms that flattened entire cities.)

Modern weather tracking systems make it seem as if the most catastrophic storms occur during the modern era. There are, however, just as many storms from previous centuries that caused widespread destruction. Take the 1737 Calcutta Cyclone, for example. While estimates remain murky, the cyclone is believed to have formed near the coast of Burma. Next, it turned northward to parallel the coast of Calcutta between October 10-12, 1737. In less than a day, the storm made landfall over the Ganges River Delta.

By bringing over 15 inches in as little as six hours, the 1737 Calcutta Cyclone overran the Ganges delta and flooded the entire region. In the process, it destroyed tens of thousands of ships, killed thousands of livestock and wild animals, and partially demolished the Govindaram temple. Since no numerical data was recorded for the storm, it's hard to put an exact estimate on deaths. Some say the 1737 Calcutta Cyclone killed 300,000 people. Others, however, place the death toll at 20,000. Whatever the number, the storm brought untold destruction to the region.

As mentioned in the previous entry, not all of the most destructive storms happened in the past few centuries. In fact, one of the most catastrophic storms in world history occurred way back in 1584 on the coast of what is now Bangladesh. While little data remains from the period, we know that the 1584 Backerganj Cyclone probably formed over the Bay of Bengal before making landfall near what is now Barisal in south-central Bangladesh.

According to the primary sources from the period, the 1584 Backerganj Cyclone made landfall near the mouth of the Meghna River. From there, it caused widespread devastation of crops and killed an estimated 200,000 people. Other sources say it killed over 2,000,000 living creatures over five short hours. It swallowed up thousands of ships and houses, leaving only Hindu temples sitting at high elevations.

Another one of the most catastrophic storms in world history is the 1876 Greater Backerganj Cyclone. As evidenced by this list the Backerganj (now Barisal) region of Bangladesh knows about cyclones all too well. In 1876, the region got another reminder of the power of tropical storms. It first formed over the southeastern Bay of Bengal before moving up the north bay, intensifying, and making landfall in Backerganj.

It's said this storm hit the Bangladesh coast on November 1, 1876, bringing 9.8–44.6 ft of storm surge and 140 mph winds with it. Running up the Meghna estuary, it killed an estimated 200,000 people. Many historians believe that over half of the deaths came almost instantly from drowning. The other half died in intervening weeks due to the famine brought on by the cyclone's widespread crop destruction.

In the middle of October 1897, a tropical storm developed over the central Bay of Bengal. In the intervening days, the storm slowly intensified, before traveling quickly up the northwestern coast of what is now Bangladesh. Once it made landfall, it brought a massive storm surge with it. This hit the area hard, with the most severe damage occurring on Kutubdia Island off the west coast of Bangladesh.

On October 24, 1897, the Chittagong Cyclone caused widespread destruction to the region, practically leveling the entire island of Kutubdia. During the storm, an estimated 14,000 people died due to drowning and or blunt trauma from winds and flying debris. The storm also ruined water infrastructure. This resulted in a cholera outbreak that killed another 18,000 people in the following weeks.

For some reason, the records surrounding the most catastrophic storms in history remain inconsistent. While relatively in-depth records remain of storms from hundreds of years ago, some storms from the 20th century have little data surrounding their circumstances. Take the 1911 Teknaf Cyclone, for example.

This powerful cyclone most likely formed in the Bay of Bengal before traveling towards the Bangladeshi coastline. Though its exact date of landfall is unknown, the 1911 Cyclone touched down near Teknaf, a municipality situated on the southernmost point of the Bangladesh mainland. While the storm caused untold destruction and property damage, estimates put the death toll at around 120,000 people. Unfortunately, little else was recorded about this massive storm.

While most see deadly storms as tragic and frightening quirks of the natural world, sometimes these storms seem like divine intervention. Take the Hakata Bay Typhoon, for example. In 1273, Mongol Emperor Kublai Khan began his invasion of Japan. As the Mongol Fleet attempted to invade mainland Japan in 1274, a typhoon hit the Japanese waters. Though the Mongol forces attempted to evade the storm by navigating into Hakata Bay, the typhoon caught up with them and sunk one-third of their fleet. In the process, over 13,000 of Kublai Khan's soldiers drowned.

Heavily damaged but undeterred, the Mongolian army regrouped and attempted a second invasion of Japan less than a decade later in 1281. This time they brought a combined force of 4,400 vessels containing at least 140,000 soldiers. It seemed they didn't learn their lesson from last time, however. As the Mongol ships entered Hakata Bay, another massive typhoon hit, utterly devastating the Mongolian forces. Thousands of ships were instantly destroyed and at least 70,000 soldiers drowned. The few survivors who managed to make it ashore starved or were hacked to death. Due to the untold destruction, the Mongolians abandoned their plans of invading Japan. This saved the island from foreign conquest for hundreds of years. Not only did the failed invasion set a limit on Mongolian expansion, it served as a defining moment in Japanese history.

As such, the Japanese bestowed a special name on the 1281 Hakata Bay Typhoon. They called it kamikaze, which translates to "divine wind." This term saw a resurgence during World War II when it was used to refer to Japanese pilots who deliberately crashed their planes into enemy targets like ships.

A final catastrophic storm in world history is the more recent 2013 Typhoon Haiyan. It formed southeast of the Federated States of Micronesia in the Pacific Ocean on November 2, 2013. It slowly gained speed and intensity as it moved westward, before making its first landfall on Guam on November 7th. From there it hit the Caroline Islands, the Philippines, South China, and Vietnam.

With high winds of 195 mph and a hefty storm surge, the Haiyan Typhoon caused widespread damage to various islands and coastlines on the Pacific Ocean. The Visayas islands in the southern Philippines bore the brunt of the damage. Cities like San Jose in Tacloban were almost completely washed away. To make matters worse, heavily affected areas like Cebu and Bohol were already reeling from the damage caused by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake that hit only two weeks previous. Throughout its flight path, the storm killed at least 6,352 people. It caused another 1,771 people to go missing for good. In all, the 2013 Typhoon Haiyan caused $2.98 billion worth of damage, making it the costliest storm in Philippines history. (For other massive natural disasters, discover the 20 most powerful earthquakes in recorded history.)