Most Powerful Hurricanes

10 Most Powerful Hurricanes Reveal Disturbing Trend

4 have occurred since turn of the century

By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff

Hurricane Irma approaches Cuba and Florida in this satellite image taken Sept. 8, 2017.   (NOAA via AP, File)

This year's hurricane season is expected to be relatively tame, but it's no time to get complacent.
Some of the worst storms in recent decades have hit during "slower hurricane seasons," notes 24/7 Wall St. in an introduction to its list of the biggest hurricanes since 1851. The top 10, based on estimated central pressure at time of landfall, show that four of them have occurred since 2005:

1. The Labor Day Storm of 1935; affecting Andros Island in the Florida Keys
2. Hurricane Camille, 1969; affecting Cuba and the southern US
3. Hurricane Gilbert, 1988; affecting the Caribbean, Central America, and the US
4. Hurricane Dean, 2007; affecting Jamaica and eastern Mexico
5. Hurricane Janet, 1955; affecting the Caribbean and Mexico
6. Hurricane Irma, 2017; affecting the Caribbean and Florida
7. Hurricane Katrina, 2005; affecting Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama
8. Hurricane Maria, 2017: affecting Puerto Rico and northeastern Caribbean islands
9. Hurricane Andrew, 1992; affecting Bermuda, Puerto Rico, Florida and Louisiana
10. The Great Indianola Hurricane of 1886; affecting southeastern Texas