Worst Hurricane Season Ever?

Is This the Worst Hurricane Season Ever?

Here's how 2017 compares to years past.

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By Lyndsey Matthews

Four major hurricanes—Harvey, Irma, Jose and Maria—have already wreaked havoc throughout the Atlantic this year and hurricane season isn't over until November 30. While forecasters predict that more storms could be on their way, is this already the worst hurricane season ever?

Time looked at the data that the National Hurricane Center has collected on hurricanes since 1900 to find the answer. Since the NHC doesn't track the damage hurricanes inflict on the Caribbean, it's hard to get a comprehensive picture but at least we can compare the effects on the U.S. for now. Here's what they found.

The Deadliest Hurricane Season

This year, Harvey and Irma left 103 people dead in the United States, which makes it the 17th most deadly hurricane season to date. The hurricane season that killed the most people on U.S. soil was the first year the NHC started its records in 1900 when a hurricane hit Galveston, Texas, and killed between 6,000 and 12,000 people.

Thankfully, more lives were spared this year since predictions are getting better and the warning systems in place are more effective as time goes on. Only one hurricane season in the past 50 years broke into the top 10 on this list, when Hurricane Katrina breached the levees in New Orleans, killing 1,225 people.

The Most Expensive Hurricane Season

According to Moody's Analytics, this year's hurricane season has already cost the U.S. between $150 and $200 billion in property damage, making it the second most costly hurricane season on record. The 2005 hurricane season still tops this list at $211 billion in damage, but this could change if any more storms hit the U.S. this year.

From: Town & Country