What are the deadliest tropical cyclones in recorded history?

Tropical cyclones have caused catastrophic loss of life throughout history, with dozens of storms claiming a thousand or more victims each. The deadliest recorded tropical cyclone was the 1970 Bhola cyclone, which killed hundreds of thousands of people in East Pakistan. In the 21st century, storms like Cyclone Nargis and Cyclone Freddy have continued to cause massive devastation across vulnerable coastal and inland regions.

What we know

• The Bhola cyclone of November 1970 struck what is now Bangladesh and killed at least 300,000 people, making it the deadliest tropical cyclone in recorded history. [2, 5]
• The deadliest Atlantic hurricane overall was the Great Hurricane of 1780, resulting in at least 22,000 to 30,000 fatalities. [2]
• Cyclone Nargis was the deadliest 21st-century tropical cyclone, causing at least 138,374 deaths when it struck Myanmar. [2]
• Very Intense Tropical Cyclone Freddy traversed the southern Indian Ocean for over five weeks in 2023, becoming the longest-lasting tropical cyclone ever recorded worldwide. [4]

Still open

• The exact death toll of the 1970 Bhola cyclone is estimated at 300,000, though it possibly reached as many as 500,000 people.

Where to go next

• what caused itHow did the Bhola cyclone spark a civil war?
• how it workedWhat made Cyclone Freddy last for over five weeks?
• the bigger pictureWhat are the general records set by global tropical cyclones?
• compared withHow does Hurricane Mitch compare to other Atlantic hurricanes?
• a case in pointWhat happened during Cyclone Nargis's landfall in Myanmar?
• an unexpected connectionHow did a deadly weather disaster lead to a national independence movement?The delayed and poor humanitarian response from the central government following the 1970 Bhola cyclone catalyzed political disillusionment in East Pakistan, directly fueling the landslide victory of the opposition and the subsequent Bangladesh Liberation War.

Sources

• [1]list of the deadliest tropical cyclones (Wikidata Q111023726) · CC0 1.0
• [2]List of deadliest tropical cyclones · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]List of tropical cyclone records · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Cyclone Freddy · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]1970 Bhola cyclone · CC BY-SA 4.0