List of disasters in the United States by death toll
Steamboat boiler explosions were a common cause of 19th-century mass-casualty events in the United States.
This list of United States disasters by death toll includes disasters that occurred either in the United States , at diplomatic missions of the United States , or incidents outside of the United States in which a number of U.S. citizens were killed.
Over 1,000,000 deaths
Over 100,000 deaths
Fatalities
Year
Article
Type
Location
Damage (US$ )
Comments
725,000+[ 2]
1999 – present
Opioid epidemic in the United States
Drug Epidemic
Nationwide
Second-deadliest disaster in United States history. Deadliest drug epidemic in United States history.
700,000[ 3]
1981 – present
HIV/AIDS in the United States
Pandemic
Nationwide
Fatalities estimated. Third-deadliest disaster in United States history.
675,000[ 4]
1918 – 1920
1918 influenza pandemic
Pandemic
Nationwide
Fatalities estimated. Fourth-deadliest disaster in United States history.
116,000[ 5]
1957 – 1958
1957–1958 influenza pandemic
Pandemic
Nationwide
Fatalities estimated. Fifth-deadliest disaster in United States history.
100,000[ 6]
1968
1968 influenza pandemic
Pandemic
Nationwide
Fatalities estimated. Sixth-deadliest disaster in United States history.
Over 400 deaths
Fatalities
Year
Article
Type
Location
Damage (US$ )
Comments
6,000–12,000
1900
1900 Galveston hurricane
Tropical cyclone
Texas
$34,000,000 (1900)
5,000
1936
1936 North American heat wave
Heat wave
United States, Canada
4,000+
1862
Great Flood of 1862
Flood
Western United States
$100,000,000 (1862)
3,389
1899
1899 San Ciriaco hurricane
Tropical cyclone
Puerto Rico , East Coast of the United States
$20,000,000 (1899)
3,000+
1906
1906 San Francisco earthquake
Earthquake and fire (urban conflagration)
San Francisco, California
$235,000,000 (1906)
Conflagration followed quake; fatalities estimated; also major casualties in Santa Rosa and San Jose . Deadliest earthquake in U.S. history.
2,996 (2,977 ex. perps )
2001
September 11 attacks
Terrorism
New York City , Arlington County, Virginia , and Stonycreek Township near Shanksville, Pennsylvania
$10,000,000,000 (2001)
2,977 victims and 19 hijackers. Deadliest disaster in New York City and the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Deadliest act of terrorism in United States history.
2,982 (estimated)
2017
Hurricane Maria
Tropical cyclone
Puerto Rico , United States Virgin Islands , East Coast of the United States
$94,500,000,000 (2017)[ 7]
Total includes at least 2,975 deaths based on a study by GWU on the estimated excess mortality.[ 8] The official death count was previously 64.[ 9] The storm caused $90 billion (2017 USD) in damage in Puerto Rico , and three deaths in the U.S. Virgin Islands , plus 75 deaths and $1.6 billion in damage across the rest of the Caribbean.
2,823
1928
1928 Okeechobee hurricane
Tropical cyclone
Florida , Puerto Rico
$800,000,000 (2005)
4,000+ believed dead total. Includes 2,511+ in the contiguous United States , 312 in Puerto Rico .
2,467
1941
Attack on Pearl Harbor
Military strike – bombing
Honolulu , Territory of Hawaii and nearby military installations
2,403 U.S. victims and 64 Japanese attackers. Deadliest attack on U.S. soil by a foreign government.
2,209
1889
Johnstown Flood
Accident – dam failure
Pennsylvania
Much rain, deforestation; dam failed
2,000
1893
1893 Cheniere Caminada hurricane
Tropical cyclone
Louisiana
Fatalities estimated
1,700
1980
1980 United States heat wave
Heat wave
Central and southern states
$20,000,000,000 (1980 USD)
Official death toll, may have been higher
1,500–2,500
1871
Peshtigo Fire
Wildfire
Peshtigo, Wisconsin , Upper Peninsula of Michigan
Fatalities estimated; most deaths in one fire in U.S. history
1,500
1896
1896 Eastern North America heat wave
Heat wave
Northeastern United States , Midwestern United States
Fatalities estimated
1,392
2005
Hurricane Katrina
Tropical cyclone
Florida , Louisiana , Mississippi , Alabama , Georgia , Kentucky , and Ohio
$125,000,000,000
(2005)
Tied with Hurricane Harvey as the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.
1,173
1943
HMT Rohna [ 10]
Military strike – bombing
Mediterranean Sea
Luftwaffe glide bomb hit troopship causing the largest loss of U.S. soldiers (1,050) at sea due to enemy action in a single incident.
1,167
1865
Sultana
Accident – shipwreck
Marion, Arkansas
Steamboat sank due to boiler explosion; fatalities estimated. Deadliest maritime disaster in U.S. history
1,021
1904
PS General Slocum
Accident – shipwreck
East River near New York City
Steamship sank due to fire on board. Deadliest maritime disaster in New York City, and deadliest in city's history until 2001.
1,000–2,000
1893
1893 Sea Islands hurricane
Tropical cyclone
Georgia , South Carolina
Fatalities estimated
1,000
1918
1918 Cloquet fire
Wildfire (rural)
Minnesota
$7,300,000
918
1978
Jonestown
Mass murder
Jonestown, Guyana
Jim Jones , cult leader of the Peoples Temple Agricultural Project, convinced most of the group to drink grape Flavor Aid poisoned with cyanide or to inject themselves and their children with cyanide, totaling 909 deaths of U.S. nationals. A family of four other Temple members committed murder/suicide by knife in Georgetown . Five others were shot and killed while trying to escape from Jonestown, including U.S. Congressman Leo Ryan .
879
1945
USS Indianapolis [ 11]
Military strike – submarine
Philippine Sea
Largest loss of life in the history of the U.S. Navy at sea
844
1915
SS Eastland
Accident – shipwreck
Chicago, Illinois
Passenger ship capsized in Chicago harbor while loading charter for company picnic, causing great loss of life despite shallow water and proximity to land. Deadliest disaster in the history of Great Lakes shipping, and deadliest disaster in Chicago history.
819
1944
SS Léopoldville [ 12]
Military strike – submarine
English Channel
Approximately 763 United States Army soldiers drowned.
800
1875
1875 Indianola hurricane
Tropical cyclone
Louisiana , Texas
Fatalities estimated
749
1944
Exercise Tiger
Military strike – E-boats
English Channel
USS LST-289 , LST-507 and LST-531 sunk during a training exercise.[ 13]
747
1925
Tornado outbreak of March 18, 1925
Tornado outbreak
Missouri , Illinois , Indiana , Kentucky , Tennessee
$1,650,000,000 (2005)
At least 12 tornadoes, including the following:
Tri-State Tornado : 695 deaths (deadliest tornado in U.S. history)
Buck Lodge, Tennessee/Beaumont, Kentucky: 41 deaths
745
1919
1919 Florida Keys hurricane
Tropical cyclone
Florida , Texas
Including 488 deaths aboard SS Valbanera
739
1995
Chicago Heat Wave of 1995
Heat wave
Chicago, Illinois
683
1942
USS Juneau [ 14]
Military strike – submarine
Guadalcanal
Sunk by submarine while retreating with damage from naval battle of Guadalcanal.
682–800
1938
1938 New England hurricane
Tropical cyclone
675
1943
SS Dorchester [ 15]
Military strike – submarine
Greenland
United States troopship.
650
1913
Great Flood of 1913
Flood
Central United States , Eastern United States
Fatalities estimated
644
1943
USS Liscombe Bay [ 16]
Military strike – submarine
Gilbert Islands
Submarine torpedo detonated the aircraft carrier's bomb magazine during Operation Galvanic .
602
1903
Iroquois Theatre fire
Fire (building)
Chicago, Illinois
Worst theater fire in American history; worst single-building fire.
600
1928
St. Francis Dam
Accident – dam failure
Santa Clarita, California
581
1947
Texas City disaster
Accident – explosion
Texas City, Texas
Ammonium nitrate on board ship
501+
1896
Tornado outbreak sequence of May 1896
Tornado outbreak sequence
Central United States , Southern United States
$2,900,000,000 (1997)
At least 38 tornadoes, including the following:
500+
1804
1804 Antigua–Charleston hurricane
Tropical cyclone
Southeastern United States
500
1865
American steamship General Lyon (1864)
Accident – fire , shipwreck
Off Cape Hatteras , North Carolina
Fatalities estimated
500
1871
Great Michigan Fire
Wildfire (rural)
Michigan
Fatalities estimated
492
1942
Cocoanut Grove fire
Fire (building)
Boston, Massachusetts
Deadliest nightclub fire ever, and second-deadliest structure fire in U.S. history; loss of life due to blocked exits; burn victims were among the first treated with penicillin
476–1,000+
1927
Hawks Nest Tunnel disaster
Industrial , silicosis
Gauley Bridge, West Virginia
178 admitted deaths, 476 with congressional inquiry, 1,000+ by epidemiologists.
454+
1936
1936 Tupelo–Gainesville tornado outbreak
Tornado outbreak
Alabama , Arkansas , Mississippi , Georgia , South Carolina , Tennessee
At least 12 tornadoes, including the following:
450-800
1862
Dakota War of 1812
Massacre
428
1913
1913 (Ohio) statewide flood
Flood
Ohio
418+
1894
Great Hinckley Fire
Wildfire (rural)
Hinckley, Minnesota and vicinity
416
1957
Hurricane Audrey
Tropical cyclone
Louisiana , Texas , Mississippi , Alabama
$147,000,000 (1957)
408
1935
1935 Labor Day hurricane
Tropical cyclone
Florida
201 to 400 deaths
Fatalities
Year
Article
Type
Location
Damage (US$ )
Comments
400
1857
SS Central America
Accident – shipwreck
Off the coast of Georgia
Fatalities estimated
400
1860
PS Lady Elgin
Accident – shipwreck
Chicago, Illinois
400
1888
Great Blizzard of 1888
Blizzard
Northeastern United States
Fatalities estimated
400+
1898
Portland Gale
Storm
New England
385
1937
Ohio River flood of 1937
Flood
Ohio , Kentucky , Indiana , Illinois
$5,000,000,000
383+
1917
May–June 1917 tornado outbreak sequence
Tornado outbreak sequence
Midwestern United States , Southeastern United States
$6,880,000
At least 66 tornadoes, including the following:
Mattoon–Charleston, Illinois : 101+ deaths
Tiptonville, Tennessee/Dublin, Kentucky: 67 deaths
Sumiton–Morris, Alabama: 27 deaths
Cheney–Florence, Kansas: 23 deaths
Blytheville, Arkansas/Como, Tennessee: 18 deaths
Ellsinore–Drum, Missouri: 18 deaths
383
1950
Great Appalachian Storm of November 1950
Blizzard
Eastern United States
$66,700,000 (1950)
380+
1911
1911 Eastern North America heat wave
Heat wave
Northeastern United States
372[ 17]
1926
1926 Miami hurricane
Tropical cyclone
Florida
372
1944
USS Mount Hood [ 18]
Accident – explosion
New Guinea
Ammunition ship explosion.
371+
1909
1909 Grand Isle hurricane
Tropical cyclone
Gulf Coast of the United States
362
1907
Monongah mining disaster
Accident – coal mine
Monongah, West Virginia
361
1913
Great Dayton Flood
Flood
Dayton, Ohio
Flood was created by a series of three winter storms that hit the region in March, 1913
348
2011
2011 Super Outbreak
Tornado outbreak
Midwestern United States , Southern United States , Eastern United States
~$11,000,000,000 (2011)
Including 24 non-tornadic deaths; 367 tornadoes, including the following:
330+
1932
1932 Deep South tornado outbreak
Tornado outbreak
Southern United States
$4,340,000
At least 36 tornadoes, including 10 violent (F4 or F5) storms, resulting in 268 deaths in Alabama alone. Deadliest tornadoes include the following:
Cox–Union Grove, Alabama: 49+ deaths
Gantts Quarry–Chandler Springs, Alabama: 41 deaths
Jackson County, Alabama/Jasper, Tennessee: 38+ deaths
Ralph–Northport, Alabama: 37 deaths
Plantersville–Sylacauga, Alabama: 31 deaths
Cullman–Arab, Alabama: 18 deaths
Dalton, Georgia/Conasauga, Tennessee: 15 deaths
326+
1900
1900 Hoboken Docks fire
Fire (industrial)
Hoboken, New Jersey
Including 99 deaths on SS Saale
324+
1908
1908 Dixie tornado outbreak
Tornado outbreak
Great Plains , Midwestern United States , Southern United States
At least 29 tornadoes, including the following:
322
1930
Ohio Penitentiary
Fire (building)
Columbus, Ohio
320
1944
Port Chicago disaster
Accident – explosion
Port Chicago, California
World War II ammunition ignited
317+
1840
Great Natchez Tornado
Tornado
Natchez, Mississippi
$1,260,000
313[ 19]
1837
Steamboat Monmouth disaster
Boat collision
Above Baton Rouge on the Mississippi River
Fatalities estimated
310
1974
1974 Super Outbreak
Tornado outbreak
Ontario , Illinois , Indiana , Michigan , Ohio , Kentucky , Tennessee , Alabama , Mississippi , Georgia , North Carolina , Virginia , West Virginia and New York
$3,500,000,000 (2005)
Additional 9 deaths in Ontario; 148 tornadoes, including the following:
300+
1856
1856 Last Island hurricane
Tropical cyclone
Louisiana , Mississippi
300
1864
Oak Run Massacre
Massacre
Oak Run, California
300
1865
Mobile magazine explosion
Accident – explosion
Mobile, Alabama
Civil War ammunition; fatalities estimated
300
1921
Tulsa race massacre
Race massacre
Tulsa, Oklahoma
White mob attacks affluent black neighborhood; fatalities estimated
296–319
1937
New London School explosion
Accident – explosion
New London, Texas
$13,000,000 (2003)
Gas leak
300–400
1944
1944 Great Atlantic hurricane
Tropical cyclone
East Coast of the United States
Fatalities estimated
286
1960
December 1960 nor'easter
Blizzard
Northeastern United States
283+
1859
Mendocino War
Massacre
Mendocino County, California
282
1881
Thumb Fire
Wildfire (rural)
Michigan
$2,347,000
278
1876
Brooklyn Theatre fire
Fire (building)
Brooklyn , New York
276–702[ 20]
2021
February 13–17, 2021 North American winter storm
Blizzard
United States
$20,400,000,000
Additional 14 deaths in Mexico
275[ 17]
1915
1915 Galveston hurricane
Tropical cyclone
Texas
275
1915
1915 New Orleans hurricane
Tropical cyclone
Louisiana
274
1898
USS Maine
Explosion
Havana, Cuba
A major event that precipitated the Spanish–American War . Exact cause remains unknown.
273
1875
Pacific (1850)
Accident – shipwreck
Off Cape Flattery , Washington
Fatalities estimated
273
1979
American Airlines Flight 191
Accident – aircraft
Chicago, Illinois
Deadliest aircraft accident in U.S. history
272
1943
Henry R. Mallory [ 21]
Military strike – submarine
North Atlantic
United States troopship.
271
1965
Palm Sunday tornado outbreak
Tornado outbreak
Iowa , Ohio , Michigan , Indiana
78 tornadoes, including the following:
270
1988
Pan Am Flight 103
Terrorism
Lockerbie, Scotland
Inflight bombing of a flight from London to New York killed all aboard, including 179 U.S. citizens, and 16 on the ground.
265
1913
Dawson, New Mexico
Accident – coal mine
Dawson, New Mexico
Including 263 miners and two rescuers
265
2001
American Airlines Flight 587
Accident – aircraft
Queens, New York
Second-deadliest U.S. aviation accident, and deadliest in New York City.
259
1909
Cherry Mine disaster
Accident – coal mine
Cherry, Illinois
257
1932
1932 San Ciprián hurricane
Tropical cyclone
Puerto Rico
256
1969
Hurricane Camille
Tropical cyclone
Mississippi , Alabama , and Virginia
256
1985
Arrow Air Flight 1285
Accident – aircraft
Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador , Canada
Most of the passengers were members of the 101st Airborne Division .
250
1858
Pennsylvania (steamboat)
Accident – shipwreck
Mississippi River , near Memphis, Tennessee
Fatalities estimated
250
1913
Great Lakes Storm of 1913
Blizzard
Great Lakes region
$5,000,000 (1913)
Fatalities estimated
247
1903
Heppner flood of 1903
Flood
Heppner, Oregon
247
1953
Flint–Worcester tornado outbreak sequence
Tornado outbreak sequence
Michigan , Ohio , Nebraska and Massachusetts
50 tornadoes, including the following:
246-280
1863
Bear River Massacre
Massacre
Near Preston, Idaho
246
1927
Great Mississippi Flood of 1927
Flood
Arkansas , Illinois , Kentucky , Louisiana , Mississippi , and Tennessee
$400,000,000
243+
1920
April 1920 tornado outbreak
Tornado outbreak
Southern United States
At least 17 tornadoes, including the following
Aberdeen, Mississippi/Waco, Alabama : 88 deaths
Bay Springs–Russell, Mississippi: 36 deaths
Deemer, Mississippi: 27 deaths
Lily Flagg–Brownsboro, Alabama: 27 deaths
Ingomar–Glen, Mississippi: 24 deaths
Carbon Hill–Lacey's Spring, Alabama: 21 deaths
241–289
1850
SS G. P. Griffith
Accident – shipwreck
Lake Erie
241+
1913
Tornado outbreak sequence of March 1913
Tornado outbreak sequence
Southern United States , Midwestern United States
$9,680,000
At least 19 tornadoes, including the following:
Omaha, Nebraska : 103 deaths
Fulton–Lower Peach Tree, Alabama: 27 deaths
Bellevue, Nebraska/Harlan, Iowa: 25 deaths
Mead, Nebraska/Logan, Iowa: 22 deaths
Prairieton–Terre Haute, Indiana: 21 deaths
Douglas, Nebraska/Macedonia, Iowa: 18 deaths
241
1983
1983 Beirut barracks bombings
Terrorism
Beirut , Lebanon
58 French peacekeepers, six civilians and two suicide bombers also died in the attack
240
1862
Tonkawa Massacre
Massacre
Indian Territory
239
1907
Darr Mine disaster
Accident – coal mine
Rostraver Township, Pennsylvania
238
1912
RMS Titanic [ 22]
Accident – shipwreck
north Atlantic Ocean , south of Newfoundland
Only includes U.S. victims
238
1972
1972 Black Hills flood
Flood
Rapid City, South Dakota
$160,000,000 (1972) $664,000,000 (2002)
Average rainfall over area of 60 mi2 measured at 10-15 inches (380 mm), over 6 hours in middle of night June 9–10, 1972.
235
1888
Schoolhouse Blizzard
Winter storm
Midwestern United States
230
1996
TWA Flight 800
Accident – aircraft
Long Island , New York
229–600
2021
2021 Western North America heat wave
Heat wave
Pacific Northwest
At least 116 deaths in Oregon , at least 112 in Washington , and one in Idaho
228
1997
Korean Air Flight 801
Accident – aircraft
Asan-Maina , Guam
228
2024
Hurricane Helene
Tropical cyclone
Southeastern United States
225
1865
Brother Jonathan (steamer)
Accident – shipwreck
Off Crescent City, California
Fatalities estimated
225–350[ 23]
1890
Wounded Knee Massacre
Massacre
Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota
200–325 estimated Lakota fatalities,[ 24] 25 U.S. Army
225
2006
2006 North American heat wave
Heat wave
Contiguous United States
223
1998
1998 United States embassy bombings
Terrorism
Tanzania , Kenya
4,000+ injured
217+
1927
Tornado outbreak of May 1927
Tornado outbreak
Midwestern United States , Southern United States
At least 34 tornadoes, including the following:
Imboden, Arkansas/Poplar Bluff, Missouri: 98 deaths
Strong, Arkansas: 24 deaths
Nevada, Texas: 19 deaths
Garland, Texas: 15 deaths
217
1999
EgyptAir Flight 990
Accident – aircraft
Atlantic Ocean near Nantucket , Massachusetts
216
1902
Fraterville Mine disaster
Accident – coal mine
Fraterville, Tennessee
211
1906
1906 Florida Keys hurricane
Tropical cyclone
Florida
209
1940
Rhythm Club fire
Fire (building)
Natchez, Mississippi
209
1952
Tornado outbreak of March 21–22, 1952
Tornado outbreak
Southern United States
$285,300,000 (2019)
31 tornadoes, including the following:
Kensett–Judsonia–Russell, Arkansas: 50 deaths
Bolivar–Henderson–Chesterfield, Tennessee: 38 deaths
Cotton Plant–Hunter, Arkansas: 29 deaths
Cooter–Cottonwood Point, Missouri: 17 deaths
Byhalia–Cayce, Mississippi/Williston, Tennessee: 16 deaths
208
1993
1993 Storm of the Century
Cyclonic blizzard
Eastern United States
$6,650,000,000 (2008)
Additional 110 deaths in other countries
202
1896
1896 Cedar Keys hurricane
Tropical cyclone
Landfall at Cedar Key, Florida;
$9,600,000 in 1896 ($289,000,000 in 2018)
Heavy damage along much of Eastern Seaboard of U.S.
201
1966
North American blizzard of 1966
Blizzard
Eastern United States
81 to 200 deaths
Fatalities
Year
Article
Type
Location
Damage (US$ )
Comments
200–365
1854
Powhattan (1837)
Accident – shipwreck
Harvey Cedars, New Jersey
200–300
1871
Great Chicago Fire
Fire (urban conflagration)
Chicago, Illinois
Fatalities estimated; 125 bodies recovered
200+
1900
Scofield Mine disaster
Accident – coal mine
Scofield, Utah
Fatalities estimated
195
1928
Mather Mine disaster
Accident – coal mine
Mather, Pennsylvania
192
1898
The Portland
Accident – shipwreck
Gloucester, Massachusetts
190–250
1847
SS Phoenix (1845)
Accident – shipwreck
Lake Michigan
187+
1890
March 1890 middle Mississippi Valley tornado outbreak
Tornado outbreak
Middle Mississippi Valley
At least 24 tornadoes, including the following:
Shively, Kentucky/Jeffersonville, Indiana: 115 deaths
Kevil–West Louisville, Kentucky: 21+ deaths
187
1996
North American blizzard of 1996
Winter storm, flood
Eastern United States
Including 33 deaths due to flooding
186
2011
Tornado outbreak sequence of May 21–26, 2011
Tornado outbreak sequence
Midwestern United States , Southern United States
$7,000,000,000 (2011)
Including the Joplin, Missouri tornado , which caused 158 direct and 8 indirect deaths, the latter of which are included here.
185–200
1863
Lawrence Massacre
mass murder, military operation
Lawrence, Kansas
184+
1955
Hurricane Diane
Tropical cyclone
East Coast of the United States
181
1785
Faithful Steward (ship)
Accident – shipwreck
Off Cape Henlopen , Delaware Bay
181
1904
Harwick Mine disaster
Accident – coal mine
Cheswick, Pennsylvania
Fatalities estimated
181
1947
1947 Glazier–Higgins–Woodward tornadoes
Tornado outbreak
Oklahoma (especially Woodward ), Texas (including Glazier and Higgins ), Kansas
180+
1914
Eccles mine disaster
Accident – coal mine
Eccles, West Virginia
180
1985
1985 Puerto Rico floods
Flood
Puerto Rico
179+
1898
1898 Georgia hurricane
Tropical cyclone
Florida , Georgia
178+
1884
Tornado outbreak of February 19–20, 1884
Tornado outbreak
Southeastern United States
At least 37 tornadoes, including the following:
175[ 25]
1837
Ben Sherrod
Fire (ship)
Near Natchez, Mississippi
175[ 26]
1864
Sand Creek Massacre
Mass racial violence
Colorado Territory
Cheyenne-Arapahoe fatalities estimated, U.S. Army/Colorado militia 25 killed
175
1908
Collinwood school fire
Fire (building)
Cleveland, Ohio
Deadliest school fire in U.S. history; led to many changes in how schools were built.
173-217
1870
Marias Massacre
Massacre
Montana Territory
172
1924
Castle Gate Mine disaster
Accident – coal mine
Castle Gate, Utah
171 miners and one rescue worker
171
1908
Rhoads Opera House fire
Fire (building)
Boyertown, Pennsylvania
Sources conflict on number of fatalities: 170 or 171.
169
1903
Hanna Mine disasters
Accident – coal mine
Carbon County, Wyoming
168+
1880
Tornado outbreak of April 1880
Tornado outbreak
Midwestern United States
At least 20 tornadoes, including the following:
Boaz–Evergreen, Missouri: 99 deaths
Rocky Comfort–Grovespring: 31 deaths
168
1917
Speculator Mine disaster
Fire (mine)
Butte, Montana
168
1944
Hartford circus fire
Fire (building)
Hartford, Connecticut
168
1966
1966 New York City smog
Smog incident
New York City and New York metropolitan area , including parts of New Jersey and Connecticut
Fatalities estimated
168-169
1995
Oklahoma City bombing
Terrorism
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Deadliest act of domestic terrorism, and deadliest domestic bombing, in U.S. history
165–173
1946
1946 Aleutian Islands earthquake
Earthquake, tsunami
Alaska , Hawaii
165
1977
Beverly Hills Supper Club fire
Fire (building)
Southgate, Kentucky
164+
1909
Tornado outbreak of late-April 1909
Tornado outbreak
Midwestern United States , Southern United States
At least 35 tornadoes, including the following:
Horn Lake, Mississippi/Parsons, Tennessee: 29 deaths
Elkmont, Alabama/Fayetteville, Tennessee: 29 deaths
163
1944
West Loch disaster
Accident - explosion
Pearl Harbor , Hawaii
Classified as top secret until 1960.
162
1956
March 18–20, 1956 nor'easter
Blizzard
Northeastern United States
[citation needed ]
160
1838
Moselle (riverboat)
Accident – shipwreck
Ohio River , near Cincinnati
158
2012
Hurricane Sandy
Tropical cyclone
Most of the United States East Coast
$71,400,000,000
86 indirect fatalities occurred in the United States. 76 additional fatalities occurred in six other countries and offshore; 21 people are still missing in Haiti .
157
1960
Hurricane Donna
Tropical cyclone
The Caribbean , United States East Coast
$491,100,000
Includes 107 deaths in Puerto Rico .
156-173
1873
Massacre Canyon
Massacre
Massacre Canyon, Nebraska
156
1987
Northwest Airlines Flight 255
Accident – aircraft
Detroit, Michigan
156+
2022
Hurricane Ian
Tropical cyclone
Florida , the Carolinas , Virginia
Including at least seven deaths in a migrant vessel off the coast of Florida which are counted in Monroe County 's death toll; eleven others remain missing from that incident as of April 3, 2023
154
1940
1940 Armistice Day Blizzard
Winter storm, shipwrecks
Midwestern United States
Including 66 deaths in a series of shipwrecks in Lake Michigan , including the SS Anna C. Minch , the SS Novadoc , the SS William B. Davock , and others
153+
1920
1920 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak
Tornado outbreak
Midwestern United States , Southern United States
At least 37 tornadoes, including the following:
153
1982
Pan Am Flight 759
Accident – aircraft
New Orleans, Louisiana
150–200
1849
Louisiana (steamboat)
Boiler explosion
New Orleans, Louisiana
Fatalities estimated
150–200
1936
1936 Northeast Flood
Flood
Northeastern United States
Fatalities estimated
150
1854
New Era (1854 ship)
Accident – shipwreck
Off Asbury Park, New Jersey
Fatalities estimated
149
1942
Tornado outbreak of March 16–17, 1942
Tornado outbreak
Central United States , Southern United States
$5,250,000
At least 28 tornadoes, including the following:
Berclair–New Harmony, Mississippi: 63 deaths
Bethel Springs–Beacon, Tennessee: 15 deaths
146
1911
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire
Fire (building)
New York City , New York
Led to improved occupational safety standards as well as mandatory comprehensive fire safety standards
145
1976
Big Thompson River
Flood
Colorado
144
1871
Camp Grant Massacre
Massacre
Camp Grant, Arizona
144
1953
1953 Waco tornado outbreak
Tornado outbreak
Great Plains , Midwestern United States
Including 114 deaths from an F5 tornado in Waco, Texas
144
1978
PSA Flight 182
Accident – aircraft
San Diego, California
140
2000
2000 Southern United States heat wave
Heat wave
Southern United States
139
1840
Lexington
Accident – shipwreck
Long Island Sound
Steamship sank due to fire on board
139
1874
Mill River (Northampton, Massachusetts)
Accident – dam failure
Hampshire County, Massachusetts
139
1917
Eddystone explosion
Explosion
Eddystone, Pennsylvania
138
1944
USS Turner (DD-648)
Accident – shipwreck
Lower New York Bay
137
1934
SS Morro Castle (1930)
Accident – shipwreck
Off Long Beach Island , New Jersey
137
1985
Delta Air Lines Flight 191
Accident – aircraft
Dallas, Texas
134
1906
1906 Mississippi hurricane
Tropical cyclone
Southeastern United States
134–137
1944
1944 Appalachians tornado outbreak
Tornado outbreak
Midwestern United States , Mid-Atlantic States
At least seven tornadoes, including the following:
Wyatt–Shinston–Cheat Mountain, West Virginia: 100–103 deaths
Wellsburg, West Virginia/Oakland, Maryland: 30 deaths
Pittsburgh–Somerset, Pennsylvania: 17 deaths
134
1960
1960 New York mid-air collision
Accident – aircraft
New York City , New York
134
1967
1967 USS Forrestal fire
Fire (ship)
Gulf of Tonkin , Vietnam
>$72,000,000
132
1994
USAir Flight 427
Accident – aircraft
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
130–300
1852
Atlantic (1848)
Accident – shipwreck
Lake Erie
130
1944
Cleveland East Ohio Gas explosion
Accident – explosion
Cleveland, Ohio
$7,000,000- $15,000,000
129
1963
USS Thresher (SSN-593)
Accident – submarine
Atlantic Ocean , off the coast of Massachusetts
Deadliest submarine disaster in U.S. history.
128
1838
Steamship Pulaski disaster
Accident – shipwreck
Off North Carolina
128–135
1901
SS City of Rio de Janeiro
Accident – shipwreck
San Francisco Bay , California
128
1911
Banner Mine disaster
Accident – coal mine
Alabama
128
1915
Sinking of the RMS Lusitania
Military strike – submarine
Atlantic Ocean near Kinsale , Ireland
Ship torpedoed by a German U-boat . 1,198 fatalities resulted overall; 128 of them were Americans.
128
1933
Early-May 1933 tornado outbreak sequence
Tornado outbreak
Midwestern United States , Southeastern United States
At least 27 tornadoes, including the following:
Tompkinsville–Russell Springs, Kentucky: 36 deaths
Livingston–Byrdstown, Tennessee: 35 deaths
Brent–Pelham, Alabama: 21 deaths
Anderson–Fountain Inn, South Carolina: 19 deaths
128
1945
Tornado outbreak of April 12, 1945
Tornado outbreak
Midwestern United States
Including 69 deaths from a tornado in Pushmataha County, Oklahoma
128
1956
1956 Grand Canyon mid-air collision
Accident – aircraft
Grand Canyon, Arizona
Parts of wreckage still visible. Deadliest air disaster in U.S. at that time; led to creation of Federal Aviation Administration two years later.
125
1972
Buffalo Creek flood
Accident – dam failure
Logan County, West Virginia
123
1923
Dawson, New Mexico
Accident – coal mine
Dawson, New Mexico
123
1929
Cleveland Clinic fire of 1929
Fire (building)
Cleveland, Ohio
Nitrate film combustion triggered the fire
123
1971
February 1971 Mississippi Delta tornado outbreak
Tornado outbreak
Southern United States , Ohio River Valley
$45,900,000 (1971)
19 tornadoes, including the following:
121
1917
Hastings mine explosion
Accident – coal mine
Las Animas County, Colorado
120
1857
Mountain Meadows Massacre
mass murder
Utah Territory
Mormon settlers executed between 120 and 140 men, women, and children from the Baker-Fancher party wagon train after accepting their surrender from a five-day siege and offering them safe passage through Utah Territory .
120
1933
Long Beach earthquake
Earthquake
Long Beach, California
$50,000,000 (1933)
120
2005
Hurricane Rita
Tropical cyclone
Louisiana
$18,500,000,000 (2005)
Including 23 deaths from a bus fire during evacuations in Wilmer, Texas [ 27]
119-120[ 28] [ 29]
1863
New York City draft riots
Riot
New York City , New York
$1–5 million (1863)
It was the worst civil unrest in modern U.S. history. Required diverting Union Army troops from the front to put down.
119
1924
Benwood mine disaster
Accident – coal mine
Benwood, West Virginia
119
1946
Winecoff Hotel fire
Fire (building)
Atlanta, Georgia
119
1951
West Frankfort, Illinois
Accident – coal mine
West Frankfort, Illinois
119
1972
Hurricane Agnes
Tropical cyclone
Eastern United States
$2,100,000,000
117
1899
New Richmond tornado
Tornado
New Richmond, Wisconsin
>$300,000 ($11 million in 2023 dollars).
Tornado hit the same time the circus was in town.
116
1918
1918 San Fermín earthquake
Earthquake
Puerto Rico
115[ 30] [ 31]
1837
Wreck of the Mexico
Accident – shipwreck
Long Beach, New York
115
1902
Shiloh Baptist Church stampede
Stampede
Birmingham, Alabama
115
1938
Los Angeles flood of 1938
Flood
Los Angeles, California
$78 million (1938)
Deadliest disaster in Los Angeles history
115
1944
USS St. Augustine (PG-54)
Accident – shipwreck
Off Cape May, New Jersey
115
1964
Good Friday earthquake
Earthquake, tsunami
Alaska , Hawaii , Oregon , California
$1,800,000,000 (2006)
114
1902
1902 Goliad, Texas tornado
Tornado
Goliad, Texas
114
1924
April 1924 tornado outbreak
Tornado outbreak
Southern United States
Including 53 deaths from a single tornado in South Carolina
114
1981
Hyatt Regency walkway collapse
Accident – collapse
Kansas City, Missouri
113
1975
Eastern Air Lines Flight 66
Accident – aircraft
New York City , New York
112
1902
Rolling Mill Mine
Accident – coal mine
Johnstown, Pennsylvania
112+
1905
1905 Snyder tornado
Tornado
Snyder, Oklahoma
112
1915
Layland, West Virginia § Mine disaster
Accident – coal mine
Layland, West Virginia
112+
1916
June 1916 tornado outbreak
Tornado outbreak
Southern United States
Including 25 deaths from a single tornado family in Arkansas
112
1989
United Airlines Flight 232
Accident – aircraft
Sioux City, Iowa
112
2008
Hurricane Ike
Tropical cyclone
Texas ; Louisiana
$30,000,000,000 (2008)
34 people still missing as of 2013[update]
111
1928
SS Vestris
Accident – shipwreck
Off Hampton Roads , Virginia
111
1947
Centralia mine disaster
Accident – coal mine
Centralia, Illinois
111
1971
Alaska Airlines Flight 1866
Accident – aircraft
Juneau, Alaska
110
1869
Avondale Mine disaster
Accident – coal mine
Plymouth, Pennsylvania
110
1996
ValuJet Flight 592
Accident – aircraft
Florida Everglades
109
1891
Mammoth Mine disaster
Accident – coal mine
Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
106
2017
Hurricane Harvey
Tropical cyclone
Texas , Louisiana
$125,000,000,000 (2017)
Tied with Hurricane Katrina as the costliest natural disaster in United States history. One additional death occurred in Guyana .
103
1837
Racer's hurricane
Tropical cyclone, shipwreck
Mexico , Texas , Gulf Coast
Fatalities estimated; including 90 deaths from the wreck of SS Home off Cape Hatteras ; additional two deaths occurred in the Republic of Texas
103
1884
SS City of Columbus
Accident – shipwreck
Off Aquinnah, Massachusetts
102
1955
1955 Great Plains tornado outbreak
Tornado outbreak
Central United States
46 tornadoes, including the following:
102+[ 32]
2023
2023 Hawaii wildfires
Wildfire
Hawaii
101
1918
Great Train Wreck of 1918
Accident – railroad
Nashville, Tennessee
Deadliest rail accident in U.S. history
101
1963
Northwest Airlines Flight 293
Accident – aircraft
Near Annette Island , Alaska
101
1972
Eastern Air Lines Flight 401
Accident – aircraft
Miami, Florida
100
1812
1812 Louisiana hurricane
Tropical cyclone
Louisiana
Fatalities estimated
100+[ 33]
1850
Anglo-Norman (steamboat)
Boiler explosion
New Orleans, Louisiana
Fatalities estimated
100+
1852
Saluda (steamship)
Accident – shipwreck
Lexington, Missouri
100–125
1865
SS Pewabic
Accident – shipwreck
Lake Huron
100
1892
Krebs, Oklahoma § 1892 mining explosion
Accident – coal mine
Krebs, Oklahoma (then Choctaw nation, Indian Territory )
Natural gas explosion
100+
1899
Great Blizzard of 1899
Winter storm, cold wave
Contiguous United States
100
1900
1900 Guam typhoon
Tropical cyclone
Guam
100
1918
T. A. Gillespie Company Shell Loading Plant explosion
Accident – explosion
Sayreville, New Jersey
Fatalities estimated
100+
1937
Elixir sulfanilamide
Mass poisoning
United States
100
1978
Northeastern United States blizzard of 1978
Blizzard
Northeastern United States
$1,075,000,000 (2010)
Fatalities estimated
100
2003
The Station nightclub fire
Fire (building)
West Warwick, Rhode Island
4th-deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. history, killing 100 people and injuring more than 200.
100
2022
December 2022 North American winter storm
Winter storm
Pacific Northwest , Central United States , Eastern United States
Six additional deaths were reported in Canada
99
1968
USS Scorpion (SSN-589)
Accident – submarine
North Atlantic Ocean off New London, Connecticut
U.S. Navy investigation of cause was inconclusive, although suggested an internal hydrogen explosion may have been followed by collapse of hull, followed by immediately sinking to ocean floor, killing all hands.
99
2017
Hurricane Irma
Tropical cyclone
Puerto Rico , United States Virgin Islands , Eastern United States (particularly Florida )
$53,400,000,000 (2017)
Includes three deaths and $1 billion (2017 USD) in damage in Puerto Rico , and four deaths and $2.4 billion in damage in the U.S. Virgin Islands . Storm caused an additional 35 deaths and approximately US$11.4 billion in damage across the rest of the Caribbean.
98
1877
USS Huron (1875)
Accident – shipwreck
Off Nags Head, North Carolina
98
1890
Sea Wing disaster
Accident – shipwreck
Lake Pepin near Lake City, Minnesota
Strong winds toppled the excursion vessel.
98
1922
Knickerbocker Theatre
Roof collapse
Washington, District of Columbia
Roof collapsed due to the eponymous Knickerbocker storm
98
2021
Surfside condominium collapse
Structural collapse
Surfside, Florida
97
1904
Eden train wreck
Accident – railroad
Pueblo, Colorado
97
1974
Pan Am Flight 806
Accident – aircraft
Pago Pago, American Samoa
96+
1875
March 1875 Southeast tornado outbreak
Tornado outbreak
Southeastern United States
Including at least 28 deaths from a single tornado between Georgia and South Carolina
96
1910
Wellington avalanche
Avalanche
Wellington, Washington
Avalanche hit 2 trains in Tye Canyon
96
1977
Southern Airways Flight 242 ; Tornado outbreak of April 1977
Accident – aircraft; tornado outbreak
New Hope, Paulding County, Georgia ; tornadoes affected Southeastern United States
Storm system caused the crash of Flight 242, killing 72 people; and spawned an outbreak of 21 tornadoes, killing 24 people, including an F5 which killed 22 people near Birmingham, Alabama
96–98
1986
Dupont Plaza Hotel arson
mass murder – arson
San Juan, Puerto Rico
95
1954
Hurricane Hazel
Tropical cyclone
North Carolina ; South Carolina
U.S. victims only
95
1958
Our Lady of the Angels School fire
Fire (building)
Chicago, Illinois
95
1962
American Airlines Flight 1
Accident – aircraft
New York City , New York
95
2021
Tornado outbreak of December 10–11, 2021
Tornado outbreak
Southern United States , Midwestern United States
Including 6 non-tornadic and indirect deaths; 71 tornadoes, including the following:
94
1969
February 1969 nor'easter
Winter storm
Northeastern United States
93
1918
Malbone Street wreck
Accident – railroad
Brooklyn, New York
Some accounts give death toll as 101. Deadliest accident on New York City subway, deadliest rail disaster in city's history and deadliest mass-transit accident in U.S. history.
93
1939
1939 California tropical storm
Tropical cyclone
Southern California
Including 48 offshore deaths
93
2021
Hurricane Ida
Tropical cyclone
Gulf Coast of the United States , Eastern United States
92
1876
Ashtabula River railroad disaster
Accident – railroad
Ashtabula, Ohio
Fatalities approximated
92
1919
Tornado outbreak of April 1919
Tornado outbreak
Great Plains
At least 12 tornadoes, including the following:
Mineola–Mount Pleasant, Texas: 24 deaths
Blue Ridge–Ravenna, Texas: 18 deaths
Eustace–Grand Saline, Texas: 17 deaths
92
1919
Baltimore Mine Tunnel disaster
Accident – coal mine
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
92
1974
TWA Flight 514
Accident – aircraft
Berryville, Virginia
92[ 34]
2024
Mid-January 2024 North American winter storm
Winter storm
Contiguous United States
91
1972
Sunshine Mine
Accident – silver mine
Big Creek, Idaho
Mass carbon monoxide poisoning
90
1899
Windsor Hotel fire
Fire (building)
Manhattan, New York
Fatalities estimated
89
1973
Delta Air Lines Flight 723
Accident – aircraft
Boston, Massachusetts
88–145
1860
Pemberton Mill
Structural collapse
Lawrence, Massachusetts
88
1907
SS Columbia (1880)
Accident – shipwreck
Off Shelter Cove, California
88
2000
Alaska Airlines Flight 261
Accident – aircraft
Pacific Ocean near Anacapa Island, California
87
1918
Columbia (collapsed paddle steamer)
Accident – shipwreck
Creve Coeur, Illinois
87
1952
1952 Moses Lake C-124 crash
Accident – aircraft
Near Moses Lake, Washington
87
1990
Happy Land fire
mass murder – arson
New York City , New York
Deadliest mass murder by a single person in U.S. history.[citation needed ]
86
1910
Great Fire of 1910
Wildfire
Washington , Idaho , Montana
86
1918
Hammond Circus Train Wreck
Accident – railroad
Hammond, Indiana
86
1993
Waco siege
Police raid – Fire
Branch Davidian Complex, Waco, Texas
6 Davidians and 4 police killed in initial raid. Weeks later during final FBI assault, 76 Davidians died in a fire of disputed origin.
85
1878
USS Stars and Stripes (1861)
Accident – shipwreck
Currituck, North Carolina
85–90
1924
1924 Lorain–Sandusky tornado
Tornado
Lorain and Sandusky, Ohio
$12,500,000
85
1951
Woodbridge train wreck
Accident – railroad
Woodbridge, New Jersey
85+
1967
Long, hot summer of 1967
Periods of mass unrest
Major cities in the United States like, Detroit , Newark , and Milwaukee
The riots were mainly caused by racial tension, poverty, and police brutality. These were one of many instances of mass racial violence in the United States
85
1964
Paradise Airlines Flight 901A
Accident – aircraft
Near Lake Tahoe , Nevada
85
1968
Braniff Flight 352
Accident – aircraft
Dawson, Texas
85
1980
MGM Grand fire
Fire (building)
Las Vegas, Nevada
85
2018
Camp Fire
Wildfire
Paradise, California
Deadliest fire in California history.
84
1911
Cross Mountain Mine disaster
Accident – coal mine
Briceville, Tennessee
84+
1916
1916 Charleston hurricane
Tropical cyclone, flood
South Carolina , North Carolina , Tennessee , Georgia , Virginia
Most deaths were due to a flood event
84+
1927
Great Vermont Flood of 1927
Flood
Vermont
84
1965
Eastern Air Lines Flight 663
Accident – aircraft
New York City , New York
84
1977
Johnstown flood of 1977
Flash flood
Johnstown, Pennsylvania
$300,000,000
The flood occurred when an extraordinary amount of rain came down in the Conemaugh Valley in a short period of time. Nearly 12 inches were measured in 10 hours. The National Weather Service later estimated that this amount of rain in that location should happen less than once every 1,000 years.
84
1999
Hurricane Floyd
Tropical cyclone
East Coast of the United States
84
2007
January 2007 North American ice storm
Winter storm
Central United States , Eastern United States
Additional three deaths in Canada
83
1966
American Flyers Flight 280
Accident – aircraft
Near Ardmore, Oklahoma
83
1969
Allegheny Airlines Flight 853
Accident – aircraft
Shelby County, Indiana
A Piper Cherokee 140, piloted by a student who was a week away from getting his private pilot's license, collided with an Allegheny Airlines DC-9. The flight originated in Boston and had stopped in Baltimore and Cincinnati .[ 35]
82
1930
Millfield Mine disaster
Accident – coal mine
Dover Township, Athens County, Ohio
82
1967
Piedmont Airlines Flight 22
Accident – aircraft
Hendersonville, North Carolina
82
1986
1986 Cerritos mid-air collision
Accident – aircraft
Cerritos, California
81–85
1887
Great Chatsworth train wreck
Accident – railroad
Chatsworth, Illinois
81
1963
Pan Am Flight 214
Accident – aircraft
Elkton, Maryland
Lightning strike
81
1963
1963 Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum gas explosion
Accident – explosion
Indianapolis, Indiana
41 to 80 deaths
Fatalities
Year
Article
Type
Location
Damage (US$ )
Comments
80+
1813
USS Hamilton (1809) and USS Scourge (1812)
Accident – shipwreck
Lake Ontario
Two ships sank during a squall
80+
1880
PS Alpena
Accident – shipwreck
Lake Michigan
80+[ 36]
1864
Washoe
Boiler explosion
Steamboat Slough , California
80+[ 37]
1910
Palos No. 3 coal mine
Accident – coal mine
Jefferson County, Alabama
80+
1960
March 1960 nor'easter
Winter storm
Northeastern United States
80
1960
World Airways Flight 830
Accident – aircraft
Barrigada, Guam
79
1943
Frankford Junction train wreck
Accident – railroad
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
78
1862
Allegheny Arsenal
Accident – explosion
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Largest civilian death toll during American Civil War
78
1875
Precious Blood Church fire
Fire (building)
Holyoke, Massachusetts
78
1911
Austin Dam failure (Pennsylvania)
Dam failure
Keating Township, Potter County, Pennsylvania
78
1950
Kew Gardens train crash
Accident – railroad
Kew Gardens, New York
Deadliest surface rail accident in New York City
78
1961
TWA Flight 529
Accident – aircraft
Hinsdale, Illinois
78
1968
Farmington Mine disaster
Accident – coal mine
Farmington, West Virginia
78
1976
MV George Prince ferry disaster
Accident – shipwreck
Mississippi River , Louisiana
Deadliest ferry disaster in U.S. history
78
1982
Air Florida Flight 90
Accident – aircraft
District of Columbia
77
1923
Cleveland School fire
Fire (building)
Camden, South Carolina
77
1947
North American blizzard of 1947
Winter storm
Mid-Atlantic
77
1929
SS San Juan
Accident – shipwreck
Off California
Collided with S.C.T. Dodd
77
1961
Imperial Airlines Flight 201/8
Accident – aircraft
Richmond, Virginia
76
1872
Skeleton Cave Massacre
Massacre
Salt River Canyon, Arizona
76
1985
1985 United States–Canada tornado outbreak
Tornado outbreak
New York , Ohio , Pennsylvania , Ontario
$1,270,000,000 (2019)
Including two tornadoes which crossed the Ohio–Pennsylvania border and killed 16 and 18 people respectively; additional 14 deaths in Ontario
75
1863
Chunky Creek train wreck
Accident – railroad
Newton County, Mississippi
Fatalities estimated
75
1943
Smith Mine disaster
Accident – coal mine
Between Bearcreek and Washoe, Montana
74 miners and one rescue worker
75[ 17]
1965
Hurricane Betsy
Tropical cyclone
Florida , Louisiana
75
1970
Southern Airways Flight 932
Accident – aircraft
Ceredo, West Virginia
Deadliest sports tragedy in U.S. history; killed virtually all of the Marshall University Thundering Herd Football team, coaches and boosters when it crashed on approach for landing in a thunderstorm.
74
1949
St. Anthony's Hospital fire
Fire (building)
Effingham, Illinois
74[ 38]
1868
United States and America steamboat disaster
Boat collision
Near Warsaw, Kentucky
Fatalities estimated
74
1955
Hurricane Connie
Tropical cyclone
East Coast of the United States , Puerto Rico
27 deaths in North Carolina , 14 in the Chesapeake Bay , 14 in New York , six in Pennsylvania , six in New Jersey , four in Washington, D.C. , and three in Puerto Rico
74
1956
Linea Aeropostal Venezolana Flight 253 (June 1956)
Accident – aircraft
Atlantic Ocean , off New Jersey
74[ 39]
1969
Melbourne -Evans collison
Accident – maritime
South China Sea
73
1913
Italian Hall disaster
Stampede
Calumet, Michigan
Second-largest loss of life within the state of Michigan .
73
1925
1925 Florida tropical storm
Tropical cyclone
East Coast of the United States
73
1933
USS Akron
Accident – Airship
Atlantic Ocean , off the coast of New Jersey
Deadliest airship disaster in history.
73
1990
Avianca Flight 52
Accident – aircraft
Cove Neck, New York
72
1811
Richmond Theatre fire
Fire (building)
Richmond, Virginia
72
1886
1886 Sauk Rapids tornado
Tornado
Central Minnesota
$400,000
72–79+
1927
1927 St. Louis–East St. Louis tornado
Tornado
St. Louis, Missouri
$22,000,000
72
1932
Observation (steamboat)
Accident – explosion
East River , New York City
72
1943
Rennert railroad accident
Accident – railroad
Rennert, North Carolina
72
1957
Warrenton Nursing Home fire
Fire (building)
Warrenton, Missouri
72
1968
Tornado outbreak of May 1968
Tornado outbreak
Central United States , Southern United States
$52,500,000
Including a tornado which struck Jonesboro, Arkansas and killed 35 people in total
72
1974
Eastern Air Lines Flight 212
Accident – aircraft
Charlotte, North Carolina
71
1878
Gale of 1878
Tropical cyclone
East Coast of the United States
71
1978
Great Blizzard of 1978
Winter storm
Great Lakes region
70+
1883
Newhall House Hotel Fire
Fire (building)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
70
1967
TWA Flight 128
Accident – aircraft
Constance, Kentucky
70
1954
Hurricane Carol
Tropical cyclone
Mid-Atlantic United States , New England
70
1975
Great Storm of 1975
Blizzard, tornado outbreak
Midwestern United States , Southeastern United States
58 deaths from blizzard, 12 from tornadoes
70
1985
Galaxy Airlines Flight 203
Accident – aircraft
Reno, Nevada
69
1936
Pittsburgh Flood of 1936
Flood
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area
$3,000,000,000 (2006)
69
1989
Loma Prieta earthquake
Earthquake
San Francisco Bay Area , California
$6,000,000,000 (1989)
Including 42 deaths due to the collapse of the Cypress Street Viaduct
68
1994
American Eagle Flight 4184
Accident – aircraft
Roselawn, Indiana
66
1888
Mud Run disaster
Accident – railroad
Eastern Pennsylvania
66
1905
USS Bennington (PG-4) § Boiler explosion
Accident – explosion
San Diego, California
66
1955
1955 Hawaii R6D-1 crash
Accident – aircraft
Waianae Range , Hawaii Territory
66
1955
United Airlines Flight 409
Accident – aircraft
Medicine Bow Peak , Wyoming
65+
1902
Yacolt Burn
Wildfires
Washington , Oregon
65
1959
American Airlines Flight 320
Accident – aircraft
New York City , New York
65
1971
Sylmar earthquake
Earthquake
Greater Los Angeles Area , California
$500,000,000
65
2009
January 2009 North American ice storm
Winter storm
Central United States
64-77
1879
Fort Robinson massacre
Massacre
Fort Robinson, Nebraska
64
1903
Connellsville train wreck
Accident – railroad
Connellsville, Pennsylvania
64
1983
1983 United States embassy bombing
Terrorism
Beirut, Lebanon
63
1940
Sonman Mine explosion
Accident – coal mine
Portage Township, Cambria County, Pennsylvania
63
1960
Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 710
Accident – aircraft
Tell City, Indiana
Wing failure resulting from freak vibrations in clear weather turbulence was the probable cause.[ 35]
63
1963
Golden Age Nursing Home fire
Fire (building)
Fitchville, Ohio
63
1992
1992 Los Angeles riots
Riot
Los Angeles County, California
~$1,000,000,000[ 40]
An incident of civil unrest sparked by the beating of Rodney King . It was the second deadliest incident of civil unrest in modern U.S. history since the New York City Draft Riots .
62
1960
Eastern Air Lines Flight 375
Accident – aircraft
Boston, Massachusetts
62
1985
1985 Election Day floods
Flood
Virginia , West Virginia
61
1944
Freckleton air disaster
Military aircraft , Accident
Freckleton , England
An American United States Army Air Forces Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber crashed into the center of the village of Freckleton . It crashed into a school, 3 houses, and a cafe. Sixty-one individuals, including 38 children and two teenagers, were killed. Ten American servicemen were among the fatalities.
61
1946
La Salle Hotel
Fire (building)
Chicago, Illinois
61
1960
Great Chilean earthquake
Tsunami
Hawaii , Alaska
$500,000 (2005)
2,290 to 6,600 killed and $3,500,000,000 (2005) in damage worldwide. 61 killed in Hilo, Hawaii . $500,000 in U.S. property damage
61
1992
Hurricane Andrew
Tropical cyclone
Florida , Louisiana
$27,250,000,000 (1992)
61
2017
2017 Las Vegas shooting
Mass shooting [ 41] [ 42]
Paradise, Nevada
60 victims and 1 perpetrator, with the perpetrator committing suicide. The deadliest mass shooting by an individual in U.S. history.
60+
1856
PS Niagara
Accident – shipwreck
Off Belgium, Wisconsin
60–72
1864
Shohola train wreck
Accident – railroad
Shohola , Pennsylvania
Train collision along upper Delaware River. Official death toll is 65.
60
1886
1886 Charleston earthquake
Earthquake
South Carolina , North Carolina , Virginia , East coast of the United States
$5,000,000–6,000,000
Massive earthquake starting in South Carolina, spreading across the East Coast of the US.
60
1966
Hurricane Inez
Tropical cyclone
Florida Keys , Gulf Coast of the United States
Including 45 deaths from the capsizing of a boat in the Straits of Florida and 11 deaths from a helicopter crash in the Gulf of Mexico
60
1967
1967 Chicago blizzard
Winter storm
Midwestern United States
26 deaths in Chicago
59–67
1856
Great Train Wreck of 1856
Accident – railroad
Fort Washington, Pennsylvania
59
1908
Hanna Mine disasters
Accident – coal mine
Carbon County, Wyoming
59
1957
May 1957 Central Plains tornado outbreak sequence
Tornado outbreak sequence
Great Plains , Midwestern United States
Including 44 deaths from the Ruskin Heights tornado
59
2015
December 2015 North American storm complex
Tornado outbreak, winter storm , flood
Southwestern , Central , and New England
$1,200,000,000 (2015)
59
2018
Hurricane Michael
Tropical cyclone
Florida , Georgia , North Carolina , South Carolina , Virginia
$25,000,000,000
Category 5 hurricane[ 43] that caused 16 direct and 43 indirect deaths in the US, as well as 15 in Central America[ 44]
58+[ 45]
1865
Yosemite explosion
Boiler explosion
Sacramento River
58
1896
Twin Shaft disaster
Accident – coal mine
Pittston, Pennsylvania
58
1905
Grover Shoe Factory disaster
Accident – explosion
Brockton, Massachusetts
58
1950
Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 2501
Accident – aircraft
Lake Michigan
Airplane wreckage never found
58
1951
1951 Miami Airlines C-46 crash
Accident – aircraft
Elizabeth, New Jersey
First of three plane crashes in Elizabeth over three months
58
1964
Eastern Air Lines Flight 304
Accident – aircraft
Lake Pontchartrain , Louisiana
58
1965
American Airlines Flight 383
Accident – aircraft
Cincinnati, Ohio
58
1966
Tornado outbreak of March 3–4, 1966
Tornado
Southeastern United States
$75,500,000
All 58 deaths due to the Candlestick Park tornado
58
1967
1967 Oak Lawn tornado outbreak
Tornado outbreak
Upper Midwest
45 tornadoes, including the following:
58
1979
1979 Red River Valley tornado outbreak
Tornado outbreak
Midwestern United States , Southern United States
Including the Wichita Falls, Texas tornado which killed 42 people
57
1903
1903 New Jersey hurricane
Tropical cyclone
Mid-Atlantic
57
1919
1919 Fergus Falls tornado
Tornado
Fergus Falls, Minnesota
$4,000,000
57
1980
1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens
Volcano
Washington
$1,100,000,000
57
1984
1984 Carolinas tornado outbreak
Tornado outbreak
Georgia , North Carolina , South Carolina
57
1994
Northridge earthquake
Earthquake
Greater Los Angeles area , California
$23,000,000,000
57
1999
1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak
Tornado outbreak
Oklahoma , Kansas , Texas , Tennessee
$1,500,000,000 (2005)
66 tornadoes, including the 1999 Bridge Creek–Moore tornado , which killed 36 people; also including seven non-tornadic deaths
57
2007
Mid-December 2007 North American winter storms
Winter storm
Central United States , Eastern United States
Two winter storms in quick succession, the latter of which caused an additional six deaths in Canada
57
2008
2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak
Tornado outbreak
Tennessee , Arkansas , Kentucky , Alabama , and Illinois
$1,200,000,000
Including the Castalian Springs–Lafayette, Tennessee/Tompkinsville, Kentucky tornado which killed 22 people
56
1844
Lucy Walker steamboat disaster
Accident – explosion, shipwreck
Ohio River , near New Albany, Indiana
Exact number of fatalities unknown
56
1875
City of Waco
Accident – shipwreck
Off Galveston, Texas
56
1904
New Market train wreck
Accident – railroad
New Market, Tennessee
56
1912
Tornado outbreak of April 20–22, 1912
Tornado outbreak
High Plains , Upper Midwest , Southern United States
55
1880
SS Narragansett
Accident – shipwreck, fire
Long Island Sound
Fatalities estimated
55
1898
1898 Fort Smith, Arkansas, tornado
Tornado
Fort Smith, Arkansas
55+
1905
Mataafa Storm
Winter storm, shipwrecks
Great Lakes region
Approximately 29 vessels destroyed or damaged, including SS Mataafa and SS Ira H. Owen
55
1943
Gulf Hotel fire
Fire (building)
Houston, Texas
55
1949
Eastern Air Lines Flight 537
Accident – aircraft
Alexandria, Virginia
55
1975
Hurricane Eloise
Tropical cyclone
Puerto Rico , Eastern United States
55
2016
January 2016 United States blizzard
Blizzard
Eastern United States
$500,000,000, to $3,000,000,000 (2016)
54
1932
1932 Moweaqua Coal Mine disaster
Accident – coal mine
Moweaqua, Illinois
54
2004
Hurricane Ivan
Tropical cyclone
Texas , Florida
$13,000,000,000 (2004)
Damage and death figures are for the U.S. only. Storm caused an additional 67 deaths and ~US$7 billion in damage across the Caribbean .
54
2018
Hurricane Florence
Tropical cyclone
Virginia , North Carolina , South Carolina
$24,230,000,000
Category 4 hurricane that caused major damage and 54 recorded fatalities in the US; 24 direct and 30 indirect.
53
1906
1906 Atlantic City train wreck
Accident – railroad
Atlantic City, New Jersey
53
1906
1906 Washington, D.C., train wreck
Accident – railroad
Washington, D.C.
53
1925
Coal Glen mine disaster
Accident – coal mine
Farmville, Chatham County, North Carolina
53
1942
Battle of Dutch Harbor
Military strike – bombing
Unalaska, Alaska
43 American and 10 Japanese fatalities. Deadliest attack on continental U.S. by a foreign power since the Mexican–American War .
53
1947
Eastern Air Lines Flight 605
Accident – aircraft
Near Port Deposit, Maryland
53
1949
1949 Strato-Freight Curtiss C-46A crash
Accident – aircraft
West of San Juan-Isla Grande Airport , Puerto Rico
53[ 46]
1965
1965 Searcy missile silo fire
Fire – underground
Searcy, Arkansas
53
2008
Hurricane Gustav
Tropical cyclone
Louisiana , Mississippi , Alabama , Florida
53
2022
2022 San Antonio migrant deaths
Suspected migrant smuggling operation
San Antonio, Texas
Twelve others hospitalized.
52
1910
Green Mountain train wreck
Accident – railroad
Green Mountain, Iowa
52
1929
SS Milwaukee (1902)
Accident – shipwreck
Lake Michigan
52
1940
Hercules Powder plant disaster
Accident – explosion
Roxbury, New Jersey
Fatalities estimated
52
1940
1940 South Carolina hurricane
Tropical cyclone
Georgia , South Carolina , North Carolina , Tennessee , Virginia
52
1947
United Airlines Flight 608
Accident – aircraft
Bryce Canyon , Utah
52
1952
Pan Am Flight 526A
Accident – aircraft
Off San Juan, Puerto Rico
52
1952
1952 Mount Gannett C-124 crash
Accident – aircraft
Mount Gannett , Alaska Territory
51
1947
1947 Fort Lauderdale hurricane
Tropical cyclone
Florida , Louisiana , Mississippi
51
1956
SS Andrea Doria , MV Astoria
Accident – shipwreck
Off the coast of Nantucket , Massachusetts
51
1978
Willow Island disaster
Accident – Construction
Willow Island, West Virginia
Scaffolding fell 166 feet (51 m) with insufficiently cured concrete
51
2003
Hurricane Isabel
Tropical cyclone, Flooding
Virginia , Florida , North Carolina , West Virginia , Washington, D.C. , Maryland , Delaware , Pennsylvania , New Jersey , New York , Rhode Island , Ontario
5,500,000,000
(2003)
Worst hurricane to hit Virginia
50
1852
Henry Clay (steamboat)
Accident – shipwreck
Riverdale, Bronx , New York
Fatalities estimated
50+
1871
Port Huron Fire of 1871
Wildfire
Port Huron, Michigan
50
1896
1896 Atlantic City rail crash
Accident – railroad
Atlantic City, New Jersey
50–52
1918
Split Rock, New York
Accident – explosion
Split Rock, New York
50
1925
Rockport train wreck
Accident – railroad
Hackettstown, New Jersey
50
1947
Pennsylvania Central Airlines Flight 410
Accident – aircraft
Near Charles Town, West Virginia
50
1951
United Airlines Flight 610
Accident – aircraft
West of Fort Collins, Colorado
50
1951
United Airlines Flight 615
Accident – aircraft
Near Decoto, California
50
1960
Capital Airlines Flight 20
Accident – aircraft
Holdcroft, Virginia
50
1971
Hughes Airwest Flight 706
Accident – aircraft
San Gabriel Mountains , Los Angeles County, California
50
1993
Great Flood of 1993
Flood
Midwest
$15,000,000,000
50
2003
Tornado outbreak sequence of May 2003
Tornado outbreak sequence
Great Plains , Eastern United States
$4,100,000,000
Including nine non-tornadic deaths
50
2009
Colgan Air Flight 3407
Accident – aircraft
Clarence Center, New York
50
2016
Orlando nightclub shooting
Terrorism
Orlando, Florida
49 victims and 1 perpetrator, who was shot and killed by police. The second-deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, after the 2017 Las Vegas shooting .
49
1867
Angola Horror
Accident – railroad
Angola, New York
49[citation needed ]
1892
Giant Powder Company
Accident – explosions
Albany, California
Explosion in explosives manufacturing plant destroyed facility, caused extensive damage in nearby Berkeley. Official death toll was 49, though estimates of unrecovered bodies ran higher.[ 47] [failed verification ]
49
1917
Shepherdsville train wreck
Accident – railroad
Shepherdsville, Kentucky
49
1936
1936 Cordele–Greensboro tornado outbreak
Tornado outbreak
Southeastern United States
Including 23 deaths from a tornado near Cordele, Georgia
49
1953
Tornado outbreak sequence of Early-December 1953
Tornado outbreak sequence
Southeastern United States
$45,709,000
Including 38 deaths from the Vicksburg, Mississippi tornado
49
1958
United Airlines Flight 736
Accident – aircraft
Enterprise, Nevada
49
1989
Hurricane Hugo
Tropical cyclone
East Coast of the United States .
$7,000,000,000 (1989)
Damage figure for U.S. only. At least 111 total deaths, with 37 in the continental U.S., as far north as Michigan , and 12 in the U.S. possession of Puerto Rico .
49
2004
Hurricane Frances
Tropical cyclone
Florida
$9,000,000,000
49
2006
Comair Flight 5191
Accident – aircraft
Lexington, Kentucky
49
2011
Hurricane Irene
Tropical cyclone
Puerto Rico , East Coast of the United States
$15,800,000,000 (2011)
49 fatalities in U.S., including 1 in Puerto Rico, with 10 additional fatalities elsewhere.
48
1853
Norwalk rail accident
Accident – railroad
Norwalk, Connecticut
48[ 48]
1866
Memphis massacre of 1866
Mass racial violence
Memphis, Tennessee
48[ 49]
1924
USS Mississippi (BB-41) turret explosion
San Pedro, Los Angeles , California
48
1942
Joliet Army Ammunition Plant
Accident – explosion
Will County, Illinois
48
1944
Bagley train wreck
Accident – railroad
West of Ogden, Utah
48
1958
Newark Bay rail accident
Accident – railroad
Newark Bay , New Jersey
48
2024
Hurricane Beryl
Tropical cyclone
Texas , Louisiana , Ohio Valley , Northeastern United States
47
1912
1912 United States cold wave
Cold wave
Midwestern United States
47+
1917
March 1917 tornado outbreak
Tornado outbreak
Ohio Valley
Including 46 deaths from a single tornado in Indiana and Kentucky
47
1922
Argonaut Mine
Accident – gold mine
Jackson, California
47
1933
1933 Chesapeake–Potomac hurricane
Tropical cyclone
East Coast of the United States
47
1938
Custer Creek train wreck
Accident – railroad
Saugus, Montana
47
1944
Stockton train wreck
Accident – railroad
Stockton, Georgia
47
1946
Tornado outbreak of January 4–6, 1946
Tornado outbreak
South—Central United States
Including 15 deaths in the Log Lake–Southview–Palestine tornado, which is considered one of the worst tornadoes in the history of Texas.
47
1958
Capital Airlines Flight 67
Accident – aircraft
Saginaw Bay , near Freeland, Michigan
47
1989
USS Iowa turret explosion
Accident – explosion
Caribbean Sea , off Puerto Rico
47
1993
Big Bayou Canot train disaster
Accident – railroad
Mobile, Alabama
Deadliest train crash in Amtrak history.
47
2016
Hurricane Matthew
Tropical cyclone
Florida , Georgia , The Carolinas
$10,000,000,000 (2016)
Damage and death figures are for the U.S. only. Storm caused an additional 551 deaths and US$5.08 billion in damage across the Caribbean.
46
1873
Dixon Bridge Disaster
Accident – bridge collapse
Dixon, Illinois
46
1886
1886 Indianola hurricane
Tropical cyclone
Indianola, Texas
46
1900
Red Ash Mine disasters
Accident – coal mine
Fire Creek, West Virginia
46
1916
Summer Street Bridge disaster
Accident – railroad
Boston, Massachusetts
46
1942
USS S-26 (SS-131)
Accident – shipwreck
Gulf of Panama
46
1953
National Airlines Flight 470
Accident – aircraft
Gulf of Mexico , off Fort Morgan, Alabama
46
1961
Hurricane Carla
Tropical cyclone
Texas , Louisiana
$325.74 million (U.S. only)
Landed Port O'Connor, Texas on September 11 as Category 4, continued northeast across U.S., dissipated in eastern Canada on September 14.
46
1967
Silver Bridge collapse
Accident – Bridge collapse
Ohio River between Point Pleasant, West Virginia and Gallipolis, Ohio
46
1976
Air Manila Flight 702
Accident – aircraft
Naval Air Station Agana , Guam
46
1983
February 1983 North American blizzard
Winter storm
Northeastern United States
45–91
1871
Staten Island Ferry § Staten Island Railway era
Accident – explosion
New York City, New York
Boiler of Westfield II exploded at South Ferry in Manhattan
45–60
1871
W.R. Norman
Boiler explosion
Mississippi River
Fatalities estimated
45+
1912
Tornado outbreak of April 27–29, 1912
Tornado outbreak
Oklahoma , Texas , Louisiana
45
1927
Bath School disaster
mass murder
Bath Township, Michigan
Deadliest act of school violence in U.S. history
45[ 50]
1938
Grundy, Virginia § Red Jacket Mine explosion
Accident - coal mine
Grundy, Virginia
45
1946
Naperville train disaster
Accident – railroad
Naperville, Illinois
45
1950
February 1950 tornado outbreak
Tornado outbreak
Red River of the South , Lower Mississippi Valley
Including 18 deaths from a tornado in northwestern Louisiana
45
1951
FV Pelican
Accident – shipwreck
Off Montauk, New York
45
1962
Continental Airlines Flight 11
Terrorism
Unionville, Missouri
45
1972
1972 Chicago commuter rail crash
Accident – railroad
Chicago, Illinois
45
1972
United Airlines Flight 553
Accident – aircraft
Chicago, Illinois
44
1925
Pickwick Club collapse
Structural collapse
Boston
44
1933
March 1933 Nashville tornado outbreak
Tornado outbreak
Arkansas , Tennessee
At least 5 tornadoes, including the following:
44
1955
United Airlines Flight 629
Accident – aircraft
Longmont, Colorado
44
1957
Pan Am Flight 7
Accident – aircraft
Pacific Ocean
44
1964
Pacific Air Lines Flight 773
Accident – aircraft
Near Danville, California
44
2017
October 2017 Northern California wildfires
Wildfire
California
>$3,000,000,000
The fires killed 44, injured at least 185 people, and destroyed 5,700 homes. The deadliest was the Tubbs Fire , which alone killed 22 people.
43
1900
Tacoma streetcar disaster
Accident – railroad
Tacoma, Washington
43
1915
1915 Ardmore gas explosion
Accident – railroad
Ardmore, Oklahoma
$1,250,000
Overpressured tank car filled with casing head gas exploded, causing major damage and death in the town.[ 51]
43
1940
Doodlebug disaster
Accident – railroad
Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
43
1945
Tornado outbreak of February 12, 1945
Tornado outbreak
Alabama , Mississippi
$1.972 million
Damage total not adjusted for inflation. This outbreak included a devastating tornado that struck Montgomery, Alabama and the U.S. Weather Bureau would describe this tornado as "the most officially observed one in history".[ 52]
43
1947
United Airlines Flight 521
Accident – aircraft
LaGuardia Airport , New York
43
1948
United Airlines Flight 624
Accident – aircraft
Near Aristes, Pennsylvania
43
1951
Cubana de Aviación Flight 493
Accident – aircraft
Key West, Florida
43
1953
USMC R4Q NROTC crash
Accident – aircraft
Milton, Florida
43
1963
Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 705
Accident – aircraft
Everglades , Florida
43
1965
United Airlines Flight 227
Accident – aircraft
Salt Lake City, Utah
43
1967
1967 Detroit riot
Riot
Detroit, Michigan
~50,000,000[ 53]
It was caused by a police raid of a "blind pig", a unlicensed, after-hours bar.[ 54] The riot was the deadliest of the series of riots that occurred during 1967 in the United States. It contributed to widespread "white flight" in Detroit and economic decline as many businesses were looted , set on fire, or just simply closed or moved out of the city due to the riot. [ 55]
43
1971
Attica Prison riot
Prison riot
Attica, New York
State troopers opened non-stop fire on prisoners and hostages after a four-day prison uprising, killing 29 of the former and 10 of the latter; one prison guard had also died at the beginning of the riot. It is considered the deadliest one-day encounter between Americans since the Civil War.
43
1987
PSA Flight 1771
Aircraft hijacking
Near Cayucos, California
43
2011
Tornado outbreak of April 14–16, 2011
Tornado outbreak
Oklahoma , Texas , Kansas , Arkansas , Mississippi , Alabama , Missouri , Louisiana , Illinois , Kentucky , Georgia , North Carolina , South Carolina , Virginia , Maryland and Pennsylvania
$2,100,000,000 (2011)
162 tornadoes
43
2012
Tornado outbreak of March 2–3, 2012
Tornado outbreak
Southern United States , Ohio Valley
$3,500,000,000 (2019)
70 tornadoes, with one of the deadliest in Henryville, Indiana . 41 tornadic deaths, with another 2 from related weather.
43
2014
2014 Oso mudslide
Mudflow
Oso, Washington
42
1846
1846 Havana hurricane
Tropical cyclone
Florida
40 in Key West, Florida , one in Savannah, Georgia , and one in South Carolina
42
1929
1929 Rye Cove tornado outbreak
Tornado outbreak
Virginia , Central and Eastern United States
Unknown damage
Including the thirteenth deadliest tornado strike at a school
42
1943
USS R-12 (SS-89)
Accident – shipwreck
Off Florida
42
1952
February 1952 nor'easter
Winter storm
New England
Fatalities estimated
42
1959
National Airlines Flight 967
Accident – aircraft
Gulf of Mexico
Disappeared; suspected bombing
42
1966
Braniff Flight 250
Accident – aircraft
Richardson County, Nebraska
42
1973
1973 Staten Island gas explosion
Accident – explosion
Staten Island, New York
42[ 56]
1977
Maury County jail fire
Fire (building)
Maury County, Tennessee
42
1998
1998 Kissimmee tornado outbreak
Tornado outbreak
Central Florida
Including the Intercession City–Port St. John tornado , which killed 25 people
42
2022
July–August 2022 United States floods
Flood
Greater St. Louis , Central Appalachia , Las Vegas Valley
38 direct and two indirect in Kentucky , two direct in Missouri
41[ 39] –43
1916
USS Tennessee (ACR-10) § Loss
Accident - rogue wave
Santo Domingo harbor, Dominican Republic
41
1859
South Bend train wreck
Bridge washout
South Bend, Indiana
41
1909
1909 Velasco hurricane
Tropical cyclone
Texas
41
1914
SS Monroe (1902)
Accident – shipwreck
Off Virginia Capes
41
1924
Milford Mine
Accident – iron mine
Wolford Township, Crow Wing County, Minnesota
41[ 57]
1950
Genesis Health System § St. Elizabeth's Fire
Fire (building)
Davenport, Iowa
41
1968
Richmond, Indiana explosion
Natural gas explosion
Richmond, Indiana
41
1998
Tornado outbreak of April 6–9, 1998
Tornado outbreak
Midwestern United States , Eastern United States
Including the Birmingham Metro tornado , which killed 32 people
41
2001
Tropical Storm Allison
Tropical cyclone
Texas , Louisiana , and Pennsylvania
$8,500,000,000
41
2020
Hurricane Laura
Tropical cyclone
Louisiana , Texas , Florida
15 to 40 deaths
Fatalities
Year
Article
Type
Location
Damage (US$ )
Comments
40
1901
SS Islander
Accident – shipwreck
Lynn Canal , Alaska
40–54
1906
Dix (steamboat)
Accident – shipwreck
Alki Point, Seattle , Washington
40
1927
USS S-4 (SS-109)
Accident – shipwreck
Off Cape Cod , Massachusetts
40
1932
1932 Freeport hurricane
Tropical cyclone
Texas
40
1933
1933 Cuba–Brownsville hurricane
Tropical cyclone
South Texas
40
1953
April–May 1953 tornado outbreak sequence
Tornado outbreak sequence
Southeastern United States
$26,713,000
Including 18 deaths from a tornado in Warner Robins, Georgia ; also including four non-tornadic deaths
40
1962
Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962
Winter storm
East Coast of the United States
40+
1969
Ohio Fireworks Derecho
Derecho
Ohio
40
1994
1994 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak
Tornado outbreak
Southeastern United States
$140,000,000 (2005)
Including a single tornado which killed 22 people in northeastern Alabama
40
2008
Kingston Fossil Plant coal fly ash slurry spill
Coal ash spill
Kingston, Tennessee
An estimated 40 cleanup workers died due to various illnesses believed to be caused by coal ash exposure
39
1912
Corning train wreck
Accident – railroad
Corning, New York
39[ 58]
1913
Long Beach pier auditorium disaster
Structural collapse
Long Beach, California
39
1964
United Airlines Flight 823
Accident – aircraft
Parrottsville, Tennessee
39
1968
Wien Consolidated Airlines Flight 55
Accident – aircraft
Pedro Bay, Alaska
39
1970
Hurricane Creek mine disaster
Accident – coal mine
Hyden, Kentucky
39
1977
Kelly Barnes Dam
Accident – dam failure
Toccoa, Georgia
39
1997
Heaven's Gate (religious group)
Mass suicide
San Diego, California
Cult leaders Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles convinced followers they would join Comet Hale-Bopp to take them to another planet by swallowing poison.
38+
1815
1815 New England hurricane
Tropical cyclone
New England , Long Island
38
1846
John Minturn
Accident – shipwreck
Mantoloking, New Jersey
38
1860
SS Northerner
Accident – shipwreck
Centerville, Humboldt County, California
38+
1886
January 1886 blizzard
Winter storm
Eastern United States
38
1887
Forest Hills disaster
Accident – bridge collapse
Boston, Massachusetts
38
1920
Wall Street bombing
Terrorism
Manhattan, New York
Investigators and historians believe that it was carried out by Galleanists , a group is responsible for a series of letter bombings the previous year .
38
1956
Tornado outbreak of April 2–3, 1956
Tornado outbreak
Central United States
$58,000,000
Including 17 deaths from the Saugatuck–Hudsonville–Standale, Michigan tornado
38
1964
Hurricane Hilda
Tropical cyclone, tornado
Louisiana
Including 22 deaths from a tornado near Larose, Louisiana
38
1967
Lake Central Flight 527
Accident – aircraft
Marseilles Township, Wyandot County, Ohio
38
1969
United Airlines Flight 266
Accident – aircraft
Santa Monica Bay , California
38
1973
Ozark Air Lines Flight 809
Accident – aircraft
Normandy, Missouri
38[ 59]
2011
2011 Afghanistan Boeing Chinook shootdown
Military strike – rocket-propelled grenade
Maidan Wardak Province , Afghanistan
38
2014
Tornado outbreak of April 27–30, 2014
Tornado outbreak
Southern United States , Central United States
≥$1,000,000,000 (2014)
84 tornadoes, including the Mayflower–Vilonia, Arkansas tornado which killed 16. 35 tornadic deaths, with another 3 from related weather.
38
2020
2020 Easter tornado outbreak
Tornado outbreak
Southeastern United States , Mid-Atlantic
$3,000,000,000 (2020)
Including six non-tornadic deaths
37
1883
1883 Rochester tornado
Tornado
Rochester, Minnesota
$700,000 (1883)
F5 tornado killed 37 and injured hundreds more. It led to the creation of the Mayo Clinic .
37
1948
Northwest Airlines Flight 421
Accident – aircraft
Fountain City, Wisconsin
37
1961
Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 706
Accident – aircraft
Chicago, Illinois
37
1966
Loss of MV Alva Cape
Accident – shipwreck
New York Harbor
33 people killed in first fire, four people killed in second fire several days later
37
1976
American Airlines Flight 625
Accident – aircraft
Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
37
1994
USAir Flight 1016
Accident – aircraft
Charlotte, North Carolina
36
1846
USS Somers (1842)
Accident – shipwreck
Off Veracruz
Capsized due to a squall while chasing a blockade runner during the Mexican–American War
36–50
1887
SS Vernon
Accident – shipwreck
Lake Michigan
36[ 39]
1904
Missouri (BB-11) turret fire
Fire (ship)
Atlantic Ocean
36
1924
Babbs Switch fire
Fire (building)
Babbs Switch, Oklahoma
Financial damage not reported
Christmas tree lighted with candles accidentally caught fire and destroyed school building. 37 additional people injured.
36
1937
Hindenburg disaster
Accident – airship
Manchester, New Jersey
Hydrogen-filled zeppelin exploded while trying to dock.
36
2002
Tornado outbreak of November 9–11, 2002
Tornado outbreak
Eastern United States
$160,000,000
36
2010
2010 Tennessee floods
Flood, tornado outbreak
Tennessee , Kentucky and Mississippi
$2,300,000,000 (2010)
Including five tornado deaths from a related tornado outbreak
36
2016
Ghost Ship warehouse fire
Fire (building)
Oakland, California
35
1900
Camp Creek train wreck
Accident – railroad
McDonough, Georgia
35+
1907
Naomi Mine explosion
Accident – coal mine
Fayette City, Pennsylvania
35
1914
Francis H. Leggett
Accident – shipwreck
Off Columbia Bar , Oregon
35
1919
J. A. Chanslor
Accident – shipwreck
Off Cape Blanco, Oregon
35
1923
Allen Street Bridge disaster
Accident – bridge collapse
Washington (U.S. state)
35
1949
Standard Air Lines Flight 897R
Accident – aircraft
Chatsworth, California
35
1969
Hawthorne Nevada Airlines Flight 708
Accident – aircraft
Lone Pine, California
35
1980
Sunshine Skyway Bridge
Ship – collision
St. Petersburg, Florida
35
1991
1991 Los Angeles airport runway collision
Accident – aircraft
Los Angeles, California
35
2007
Tornado outbreak of February 28 – March 2, 2007
Tornado outbreak, blizzard
Central United States , Southern United States
$580,000,000
20 deaths from tornadoes, 15 deaths from blizzard; four other deaths occurred in Canada
35
2011
2011 Halloween nor'easter
Blizzard
Northeastern United States
Additional four deaths in Canada
34
1878
1878 Wallingford tornado
Tornado
Southern Connecticut
$5,300,000 (2007)
34
1893
1893 New York hurricane
Tropical cyclone
Eastern United States
34+
1916
1916 Gulf Coast hurricane
Tropical cyclone
Gulf Coast of the United States
34
1920
1920 North Dakota blizzard
Winter storm
North Dakota
34
1922
Roma (airship)
Accident – airship
Norfolk, Virginia
34
1934
Kerns Hotel fire
Fire (building)
Lansing, Michigan
34
1936
SS Iowa (1920)
Accident – shipwreck
Columbia Bar , Washington
34
1943
USS Rogday (ID-3583)
Accident – shipwreck
Off South Carolina
34
1945
Michigan train wreck
Accident – railroad
Michigan City, North Dakota
34
1950
1950 Chicago streetcar crash
Accident – railroad
Chicago, Illinois
34
1959
Braniff Flight 542
Accident – aircraft
Near Buffalo, Texas
34
1960
National Airlines Flight 2511
Accident – aircraft
Near Bolivia, North Carolina
34
1967
USS Liberty incident
Military strike - aircraft, torpedo boats
Mediterranean Sea
34 deaths on military ship USS Liberty due to the June 8, 1967, attack by Israeli Defense Force (IDF) aircraft and torpedo boats.
34
1967
Mohawk Airlines Flight 40
Accident – aircraft
Blossburg, Pennsylvania
34
1980
Florida Commuter Airlines crash
Accident – aircraft
Atlantic Ocean , near West End, Bahamas
34
2015
Hurricane Joaquin
Tropical cyclone, shipwreck
Southeastern United States , Bermuda , Cuba , The Caribbean
$200,000,000
Including 33 deaths from the sinking of SS El Faro near the Bahamas , and one other death on land.
34[ 60]
2019
Sinking of MV Conception
Fire (dive boat)
Santa Cruz Island , California
33
1858
Eliza Battle
Accident – shipwreck
Tombigbee River , Alabama
Fatalities estimated
33
1913
Alum Chine explosion
Accident – explosion
Patapsco River , near Baltimore, Maryland
33
1925
USS S-51 (SS-162)
Accident – shipwreck
Near Block Island , Rhode Island
33
1941
USS O-9 (SS-70)
Accident – shipwreck
Off Portsmouth, New Hampshire
33
1952
National Airlines Flight 101
Accident – aircraft
Elizabeth, New Jersey
Last of three plane crashes in Elizabeth over three months
33
1958
SS Carl D. Bradley
Accident – shipwreck
Lake Michigan
33
1960
May 1960 tornado outbreak sequence
Tornado outbreak sequence
Midwestern United States , Southern United States
$32,618,000
Including 16 deaths from a single tornado in southeastern Oklahoma
33
1973
Mississippi flood of 1973
Flood
Mississippi Valley
33
1978
Tropical Storm Amelia (1978)
Tropical cyclone
Texas
33
1996
Humberto Vidal explosion
Accident – explosion
Río Piedras, Puerto Rico
33
2007
Virginia Tech shooting
mass murder – school shooting
Blacksburg, Virginia
Armed with two semi-automatic handguns , student Seung-Hui Cho shot to death 32 people in two separate attacks on the campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University . 23 other people were wounded, 17 by gunfire. Cho committed suicide.[ 61]
33
2023
Tornado outbreak of March 31 – April 1, 2023
Tornado outbreak
Midwestern United States , Southern United States , Eastern United States
Including one indirect and six non-tornadic deaths
32–37[ 62]
1920
Ocoee massacre
Mass racial violence
Orange County, Florida
32–33
1858
John Milton (ship)
Accident – shipwreck
Off Long Island, New York
32+
1868
Morning Star (1862 ship)
Accident – shipwreck
Lake Erie
At least 30 deaths aboard the Morning Star , and two deaths aboard the Cortland
32
1918
USS Cherokee (ID-458)
Accident – shipwreck
Off Fenwick Island, Delaware
Including two people who later died after being rescued by the British Admiral
32
1948
1948 Los Gatos DC-3 crash
Accident – aircraft
Diablo Range , west of Coalinga, California
32
1948
1948 Airborne Transport DC-3 disappearance
Accident – aircraft
Atlantic Ocean , off east coast of Florida
Disappeared and was never recovered
32
1950
Rockville Centre train crash
Accident – railroad
Rockville Centre, New York
32
1962
Tornado outbreak sequence of May 14–June 1, 1962
Tornado outbreak sequence
Most fatalities were due to lightning rather than tornadoes
32
1963
1963 Chualar bus crash
Accident – bus, train
Chualar, California
Deadliest road accident in U.S. history, and deadliest U.S. rail accident involving a grade crossing
32
1968
Northeast Airlines Flight 946
Accident – aircraft
Etna, New Hampshire
32
1969
1969 Hazlehurst, Mississippi tornadoes
Tornado
Hazlehurst, Mississippi
32
1973
UpStairs Lounge arson attack
mass murder – arson
New Orleans, Louisiana
Deadliest attack on a gay bar in the U.S. until 2016; still unsolved.
32
1994
Tropical Storm Alberto (1994)
Tropical cyclone
Georgia
32
2024
Hurricane Milton
Tropical cyclone
Florida
31
1853
Steamboat Jenny Lind
Accident – shipwreck
San Francisco Bay , California
31
1855
Gasconade Bridge train disaster
Bridge – accident
Gasconade, Missouri
31
1862
USS Weehawken (1862)
Accident – shipwreck
Morris Island , South Carolina
31
1892
SS Western Reserve
Accident – shipwreck
Lake Superior
31
1910
USS Nina
Accident – shipwreck
Off Ocean City, Maryland
31
1913
1913 Binghamton Factory fire
Fire (building)
Binghamton, New York
31
1940
Little Falls Gulf Curve crash of 1940
Accident – railroad
Little Falls, New York
An additional 51 were injured
31
1959
Capital Airlines Flight 75
Accident – aircraft
Chase, Maryland
31
1970
Wichita State University football team plane crash
Accident – aircraft
Clear Creek County, Colorado
31
1981
Keansburg nursing home fire
Fire (building)
Keansburg, New Jersey
Nursing home full of elderly and mentally disabled[ 63]
31
1983
SS Marine Electric
Accident – shipwreck
Off Virginia
31
1985
Midwest Express Airlines Flight 105
Accident – aircraft
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
31
1998
October 1998 Central Texas floods
Flood
Texas
31
2009
2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami
Tsunami
American Samoa and nearby islands
189 total deaths, with 31 in American Samoa.
31
2024
Tornado outbreak sequence of May 19–27, 2024
Tornado outbreak sequence
Midwestern United States , Southern United States
Including ten non-tornadic deaths
30
1845
Great New York City Fire of 1845
Fire
New York City, New York
30
1868
1868 Hayward earthquake
Earthquake
Hayward, California
30
1887
Forest Hills disaster
Structural failure
Boston, Massachusetts
30
1895
Osceola Mine
Accident – copper mine
Osceola Township, Houghton County, Michigan
30–38
1909
SS Marquette & Bessemer No. 2
Accident – shipwreck
Lake Erie
30
1923
Glenrock train wreck
Accident – railroad
Meadow Acres, Wyoming
30
1948
Northwest Airlines Flight 4422
Accident – aircraft
Mount Sanford , Alaska Territory
30
1952
American Airlines Flight 6780
Accident – aircraft
Elizabeth, New Jersey
Second of three plane crashes in Elizabeth over three months
30
1955
American Airlines Flight 476
Accident – aircraft
Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri
30
1956
Redondo Junction train wreck
Accident – railroad
Los Angeles, California
30
1965
United Airlines Flight 389
Accident – aircraft
Lake Michigan , near Lake Forest, Illinois
30
1982
Tornado outbreak of April 2–3, 1982
Tornado outbreak
Midwestern United States , Southern United States
$390,500,000
30
1987
1987 Saragosa tornado
Tornado
Saragosa, Texas
$2,500,000
30
1989
November 1989 tornado outbreak
Tornado outbreak
Southern United States , Eastern United States
$160,000,000 (2005)
21 deaths from the Huntsville, Alabama tornado ; nine others from an event in Newburgh, New York variously described as either a tornado or a downburst
30
1997
1997 Central Texas tornado outbreak
Tornado outbreak
Central Texas
$126,600,000
All 27 tornadic deaths were from a single tornado in Jarrell; three other non-tornadic fatalities occurred
30
2004
Hurricane Charley
Tropical cyclone
Florida , Rhode Island
30
2005
Hurricane Wilma
Tropical cyclone
Florida
30
2013
Tornado outbreak of May 18–21, 2013
Tornado outbreak
Moore, Oklahoma
Including the Moore, Oklahoma tornado which killed 24; also including four non-tornadic and indirect deaths
29
1871
Great Revere Train Wreck of 1871
Accident – railroad
Revere, Massachusetts
29
1910
SS Pere Marquette 18
Accident – shipwreck
Lake Michigan
Including two crew members of sister ship Pere Marquette 17
29–42
1910
Baudette fire of 1910
Wildfire
Beltrami County, Minnesota
29
1920
SS Superior City
Accident – shipwreck
Lake Superior
Collided with SS Willis L. King
29
1933
1933 Griffith Park fire
Wildfire
Griffith Park , California
29
1943
Lackawanna Limited wreck
Accident – railroad
Wayland, New York
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad passenger train sideswiped a freight train[ 64]
29
1954
Hurricane Edna
Tropical cyclone
North Carolina , New England
29
1964
Bonanza Air Lines Flight 114
Accident – aircraft
Near Sloan, Nevada
29
1970
Pioneer Hotel (Tucson, Arizona)
Fire (building)
Tucson, Arizona
29
1971
Thiokol-Woodbine explosion
Accident – explosion
Woodbine, Georgia
29
1973
MV Norse Variant
Accident – shipwreck
Off New Jersey
29
1975
Wreck of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald
Accident – shipwreck
Lake Superior
Deadliest disaster on the Great Lakes. Inspired hit song by Gordon Lightfoot
29
1976
Yuba City bus disaster
Accident – school bus
Martinez, California
29
1977
Air Indiana Flight 216
Accident – aircraft
Evansville, Indiana
The University of Evansville basketball team was traveling to Middle Tennessee State University when the plane crashed 90 seconds after takeoff from Dress Regional Airport .[ 65]
29
1990
1990 Plainfield tornado
Tornado
Plainfield, Illinois
Crest Hill, Illinois
$160,000,000
29
1997
Comair Flight 3272
Accident – aircraft
Raisinville Township, Michigan
29
2006
Tornado outbreak of April 2, 2006
Tornado outbreak
Midwestern United States , Mississippi River Valley
$1,100,000,000
Including a single tornado in western Tennessee which killed 16; also including two non-tornadic deaths
29
2007
February 2007 North American blizzard
Blizzard
Midwestern United States , Eastern United States , Gulf Coast of the United States
$50,000,000
Including one death due to a tornado in New Orleans ; at least seven other deaths also occurred in Canada
29
2010
Upper Big Branch Mine disaster [ 66]
Accident – coal mine
Montcoal, West Virginia
28
1913
Arcadia Hotel fire
Fire (building)
Boston
28
1927
Pittsburgh gasometer explosion
Accident – explosion
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
28
1949
American Airlines Flight 157
Accident – aircraft
Dallas, Texas
28
1951
Great Flood of 1951
Flood
Kansas , Missouri
$7,000,000,000 (2005)
28
1953
American Airlines Flight 723
Accident – aircraft
Colonie, New York
28
1958
Tornado outbreak of June 3–4, 1958
Tornado outbreak
Minnesota , Montana , Nebraska , Wisconsin
$83,275,000
Including 21 deaths from a tornado that struck Colfax, Wisconsin
28+
1959
1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake
Earthquake
Montana
28
1961
Texas Tower 4
Structural collapse
Off the coast of Long Island , New York
USAF radar station which sunk due to the January 1961 nor'easter
28
1968
North Central Airlines Flight 458
Accident – aircraft
Chicago, Illinois
28
1969
USS Enterprise fire
Accident – fire , explosion
Pacific Ocean , off Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
28
1971
Allegheny Airlines Flight 485
Accident – aircraft
New Haven, Connecticut
28
1977
Blizzard of 1977
Winter storm
New York
28
1987
L'Ambiance Plaza collapse
Structural collapse
Bridgeport, Connecticut
28
1987
Continental Airlines Flight 1713
Accident – aircraft
Denver, Colorado
28
1998
January 1998 North American ice storm
Winter storm, flood
Eastern United States
Additional 28 deaths in Canada
28
2008
Tornado outbreak sequence of May 7–15, 2008
Tornado outbreak sequence
Southern Plains , Southeastern United States , Mid-Atlantic
$250,324,000
Including the Picher, Oklahoma/Neosho, Missouri tornado which killed 21 people; also including three non-tornadic deaths
28
2012
Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting
mass murder – school shooting
Sandy Hook, Connecticut
Adam Lanza shot and killed his mother, then drove to Sandy Hook Elementary School, where he fatally shot 20 students and 6 educators before committing suicide.[ 67]
27
1872
1872 Owens Valley earthquake
Earthquake
Owens Valley , California
27
1947
West Frankfort, Illinois
Accident – coal mine
West Frankfort, Illinois
27
1958
Prestonsburg, Kentucky bus disaster
Accident – school bus
Prestonsburg, Kentucky
27
1962
Canadian Pacific Air Lines Flight 301
Accident – aircraft
Honolulu, Hawaii
27
1984
Wilberg Mine
Accident – coal mine
Emery County, Utah
27
1988
Carrollton bus collision
Accident – school bus
Carrollton, Kentucky
27
1992
USAir Flight 405
Accident – aircraft
Flushing Bay , near Queens, New York
27
1996
Hurricane Fran
Tropical cyclone
The Carolinas , the Virginias , Pennsylvania
27
1997
March 1997 tornado outbreak
Tornado outbreak
Arkansas , Mississippi , Kentucky , and Tennessee
$115,000,000
Including a single tornado which killed 15 people near Little Rock, Arkansas
27
2003
North American blizzard of 2003
Winter storm
Rocky Mountains , Central United States , Eastern United States
27
2013
Tornado outbreak of May 26–31, 2013
Tornado outbreak, flood
Oklahoma , Kansas , Missouri , Arkansas
9 tornadic deaths, 18 from flooding and other causes
27
2017
Sutherland Springs church shooting
Mass shooting
Sutherland Springs, Texas
26 murdered, gunman committed suicide after being mortally wounded by an armed civilian
26
1863
SS Ada Hancock
Accident – shipwreck
San Pedro Bay , California
26
1911
Canonsburg Opera House disaster
Stampede
Canonsburg, Pennsylvania
26[ 68]
1907
Canaan disaster
Accident - train collision
New Hampshire
26
1913
James T. Staples
Accident – explosion, shipwreck
Tombigbee River , near Coffeeville, Alabama
26
1924
SS Clifton
Accident – shipwreck
Lake Huron
26
1926
SS Papoose
Accident – shipwreck
Mississippi River
26
1939
USS Sailfish (SS-192)
Accident – shipwreck
Off New Hampshire
26
1951
Continental Charters Flight 44-2
Accident – aircraft
Near Napoli, New York
26
1959
Piedmont Airlines Flight 349
Accident – aircraft
Albemarle County, Virginia
26
1962
Hurricane Daisy (1962)
Tropical cyclone
New England
26
1967
TWA Flight 553
Accident – aircraft
Concord Township, Champaign County, Ohio
26
1970
Tornado outbreak sequence of April 17–19, 1970
Tornado outbreak sequence
Midwestern United States , Southern United States
Including a tornado which killed 16 people in the Texas Panhandle
26
1970
Lubbock tornado
Tornado
Lubbock, Texas
$1,411,900,000 (2008)
F5 tornado killed 26 and wounded approximately 500
26
1976
Scotia Mine
Accident – coal mine
Oven Fork, Kentucky
26
1980
Stouffer's Inn fire
Fire (building)
Harrison, New York
26
1992
Tornado outbreak of November 1992
Tornado outbreak
Southeastern United States , Ohio Valley
$300,000,000
26
2008
2008 Chatsworth train collision
Accident – railroad
Chatsworth, California
26
2020
Tornado outbreak of March 2–3, 2020
Tornado outbreak
Tennessee , Alabama , Kentucky , Missouri
$1,606,000,000 (2020)
Including the Putnam County, Tennessee tornado which killed 19; also including one indirect fatality
25–40
1898
Hassler (vessel)
Accident – shipwreck
North of Eldred Rock , Alaska
25
1913
SS Henry B. Smith
Accident – shipwreck
Lake Superior
The SS Henry B. Smith was taking iron ore from one side of Lake Superior to the other. The weather became below freezing with powerful storms which caused massive waves, which resulted in her sinking, killing all 25 crew members on the ship.
25
1916
SS James B. Colgate
Accident – shipwreck
Lake Erie
25
1926
1926 Nassau hurricane
Tropical cyclone
Puerto Rico
25
1926
1926 Louisiana hurricane
Tropical cyclone
Louisiana
25
1929
SS Andaste
Accident – shipwreck
Lake Michigan
25
1936
Johnstown flood of 1936
Flood
Johnstown, Pennsylvania area
25
1940
Lovettsville air disaster
Accident – aircraft
Lovettsville, Virginia
25
1946
Mount Tom B-17 crash
Accident – aircraft
Mount Tom , Massachusetts
25
1956
1956 McDonald Chapel tornado
Tornado
Jefferson County, Alabama
25
1958
Northeast Airlines Flight 258
Accident – aircraft
Nantucket Memorial Airport , Massachusetts
25
1959
Allegheny Airlines Flight 371
Accident – aircraft
South Williamsport, Pennsylvania
25
1962
Eastern Air Lines Flight 512
Accident – aircraft
New York City , New York
25[ 69]
1967
Dale's Penthouse fire
Fire (building)
Montgomery, Alabama
25[ 70]
1982
Dorothy Mae Apartments fire
mass murder – arson
Los Angeles, California
25
1986
Grand Canyon Airlines Flight 6
Accident – aircraft
Grand Canyon National Park , Arizona
Deadliest accident involving a helicopter in U.S. history
25
1991
Hamlet chicken processing plant fire
Fire (building)
Hamlet, North Carolina
Workers trapped behind locked doors
25
1991
1991 Oakland firestorm
Wildfire (wildland-urban interface)
Oakland, California , and vicinity
$1,500,000,000
Burned 2,900 structures and 1,500 acres in Oakland Hills
25
2005
Evansville Tornado of November 2005
Tornado
Missouri , Indiana , Kentucky , Ohio
$92,000,000
7 tornadoes
25
2023
Tornado outbreak of March 24–27, 2023
Tornado outbreak
Mississippi , Alabama
Including 17 deaths in the Rolling Fork–Silver City tornado ; also including two non-tornadic deaths in Missouri
24–25[ 71]
1916
Big Barren Creek flood
Accident – dam failure
Claiborne County, Tennessee
24
1806
1806 Great Coastal hurricane
Tropical cyclone, shipwreck
East Coast of the United States
Including 21 deaths in the wreck of the Rose-in-Bloom off Barnegat Inlet , New Jersey , and three deaths in or offshore from North Carolina
24+
1854
Gazelle (1854 sidewheeler)
Accident – explosion
Canemah, Oregon
24
1881
1881 Minnesota tornado outbreak
Tornado outbreak
Southern Minnesota
Including 20 deaths from a single tornado
24–25
1901
SS Hudson (1887)
Accident – shipwreck
Off Eagle Harbor, Michigan
24
1905
Red Ash Mine disasters
Accident – coal mine
Fire Creek, West Virginia
Two explosions over two days killed a total of 24 people
24
1908
SS D.M. Clemson
Accident – shipwreck
Lake Superior
24
1924
Hope Development School fire
Fire (building)
Playa Del Rey, California
24
1939
1939 City of San Francisco derailment
Accident – railroad
Harney, Nevada
24
1944
American Airlines Flight 2
Accident – aircraft
Mississippi River
24[ 72]
1958
Monarch Underwear Company fire
Fire (building)
New York City, New York
24
1974
Gulliver's nightclub fire
mass murder – arson
Port Chester, New York
24
1980
Hurricane Allen
Tropical cyclone
Texas , Louisiana
7 deaths in Texas, 17 offshore deaths in Louisiana
24
1991
Luby's shooting
mass murder
Killeen, Texas
23 murdered, gunman committed suicide
24
1994
Green Ramp disaster
Accident – aircraft
Fayetteville, North Carolina
Deadliest aircraft accident in the U.S. involving victims on the ground
24
1995
1995 Alaska Boeing E-3 Sentry accident
Accident – aircraft
Elmendorf Air Force Base , Alaska
24
2002
North Carolina ice storm of 2002
Winter storm
North Carolina
24
2015
October 2015 North American storm complex
Extratropical cyclone
Eastern United States
Additional death in New Brunswick
23
1874
Granite Mill fire
Fire (building)
Fall River, Massachusetts
23
1891
Railway accident on the Bostian Bridge
Accident – railroad
Statesville, North Carolina
23
1900
Thanksgiving Day Disaster
Structural collapse
San Francisco, California
Deadliest sporting event accident in US history
23
1919
Onawa train wreck
Accident – railroad
Onawa, Maine
23
1923
Honda Point disaster
Accident – shipwreck
Near Lompoc, California
20 deaths aboard USS Young , three deaths aboard USS Delphy
23
1925
M.E. Norman
Accident – shipwreck
Mississippi River
23–25
1933
1933 Outer Banks hurricane
Tropical cyclone
North Carolina , Virginia
Two people went missing in Maine
23
1950
USS Benevolence
Accident – shipwreck
Off San Francisco, California
23
1959
Meldrim, Georgia, trestle disaster
Explosion – fire
Meldrim, Georgia
23
1961
Tornado outbreak sequence of May 3–9, 1961
Tornado outbreak sequence
Great Plains , Mississippi Valley , Midwest , Northeastern , Mid-Atlantic , and Southeastern United States
$42,205,000
Including 16 deaths from a tornado in Le Flore County, Oklahoma
23
1962
New York Telephone Company building explosion
Accident – explosion
New York City, New York
23
1965
USAF KC-135 Wichita crash
Accident – aircraft
Wichita, Kansas
23
1968
Los Angeles Airways Flight 841
Accident – aircraft
Paramount, California
23
1970
ALM Flight 980
Accident – aircraft
Caribbean Sea , off Saint Croix
23
1970
Hurricane Celia
Tropical cyclone
Texas , Florida
23
1970
Tropical Storm Norma (1970)
Tropical cyclone, flood
Arizona
23
1976
Wincrest Nursing Home fire
Arson
Chicago, Illinois
23
1977
Great Lakes Blizzard of 1977
Blizzard
New York , Ontario
$56,250,000 (1977)
The brunt of the blizzard was centered around Buffalo .
23
1980
USCGC Blackthorn
Accident – shipwreck
Tampa Bay , Florida
23
1983
Air Canada Flight 797
Accident – aircraft
Cincinnati, Ohio
23
1984
San Ysidro McDonald's massacre
Mass shooting , hostage taking
San Ysidro , California
James Huberty entered a McDonald's armed with multiple Firearms , and shot dead 21 people, including a pregnant woman, before being killed by police.
23
1989
Phillips disaster
Accident – explosion
Pasadena, Texas
$1,415,000,000 (1990)
314 people injured
23
1991
Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2311
Accident – aircraft
Brunswick, Georgia
23+
2016
2016 West Virginia flood
Flood
West Virginia and Virginia
23
2019
Tornado outbreak of March 3, 2019
Tornado
Alabama and Georgia
All 23 fatalities due to a single tornado ; 3 of the deaths were children
23
2019
2019 El Paso shooting
Mass shooting
El Paso, Texas
23
2021
February 15–20, 2021 North American winter storm
Winter storm
Contiguous United States
Additional six deaths in Mexico
23
2022
Hurricane Fiona
Tropical cyclone
Puerto Rico
22+
1821
1821 Norfolk and Long Island hurricane
Tropical cyclone
East Coast of the United States
22+[ 73]
1861
Kentucky (steamboat)
Boiler explosion
Mississippi River near Helena, Arkansas
22
1865
1865 Viroqua tornado
Tornado
Viroqua, Wisconsin
22[ 74]
1867
Kingstree jail fire
Fire (building)
Kingstree, South Carolina
22
1893
Ford's Theatre
Structural collapse
Washington, D.C.
22
1895
SS Chicora
Accident – shipwreck
Lake Michigan
22
1907
SS Cyprus
Accident – shipwreck
Lake Superior
22
1903
United States Cartridge Company explosion
Accident – explosion
Lowell, Massachusetts
22
1929
Study Club fire
Fire (building)
Detroit, Michigan
22
1942
TWA Flight 3
Accident – aircraft
Potosi Mountain , southwest of Las Vegas, Nevada
Among those killed were actress Carole Lombard and her mother, who were returning to Los Angeles after a war bond drive in their home state of Indiana .
22
1953
Mid–March 1953 tornado outbreak
Tornado outbreak
Great Plains , Mississippi Valley , Southeastern United States
$6,835,000
Including 17 deaths from a tornado in northern Texas
22
1956
TWA Flight 400
Accident – aircraft
Moon Township, Pennsylvania
22
1959
St. Louis tornado outbreak of February 1959
Tornado outbreak
Great Plains , Midwestern United States , Southeastern United States
$53,713,000
21 deaths from a single tornado in St. Louis, Missouri , and one death from flooding
22
1959
Hurricane Gracie
Tropical cyclone, tornado outbreak
Georgia , South Carolina , Virginia
Including 12 deaths from a tornado outbreak in Virginia
22
1960
Cal Poly football team plane crash
Accident – aircraft
Toledo, Ohio
22
1963
Hotel Roosevelt fire
Fire (building)
Jacksonville, Florida
22
1972
1972 Sacramento Canadair Sabre accident
Accident – aircraft
Sacramento, California
22
1974
Tornado outbreak of June 8, 1974
Tornado outbreak
Midwestern United States , Southern United States
22
1979
Hurricane David
Tropical cyclone
Puerto Rico , East Coast of the United States
22
1980
Accident – tour bus
Jasper, Arkansas
[citation needed ]
22
1991
1991 Halloween blizzard
Winter storm
Central United States
22
2012
June 2012 North American derecho
Derecho
Midwestern United States , Mid-Atlantic United States
22
2014
February 2014 nor'easter
Winter storm
Eastern United States
22
2015
Hurricane Linda (2015)
Tropical cyclone
Utah , California
22
2017
Tornado outbreak of January 21–23, 2017
Tornado outbreak
Southeastern United States , Northeastern United States
$1,300,000,000 (2017)
Including two non-tornadic deaths
22
2018
January 2018 North American blizzard
Blizzard
Eastern United States
22
2022
Robb Elementary School shooting
Mass shooting – school shooting
Uvalde, Texas
Including the perpetrator
22
2023
2022–2023 California floods
Flood, winter storm
California
21+
1889
Alaskan (sidewheeler)
Accident – shipwreck
Oregon
21[ 75]
1846
1846 Grenada, Mississippi tornado
Tornado
Yalobusha County, Mississippi
21[ 76]
1887
Old Southern Hotel fire
Fire (building)
St. Louis, Missouri
21
1903
1903 East Paris train wreck
Accident – railroad
Kentwood, Michigan
21
1905
20th Century Limited derailment
Accident – railroad
Mentor, Ohio
21
1910
Los Angeles Times bombing
Bombing
Los Angeles, California
21
1910
Chicago Union Stock Yards fire
Fire, structural failure
Chicago, Illinois
21
1915
USS F-4
Accident – shipwreck
Off Honolulu, Hawaii
21
1915
St. Johns School fire
Fire (building)
Peabody, Massachusetts
Schoolgirls trapped behind exit door; resulted in first city law requiring that exit doors open outward
21
1919
Great Molasses Flood
Accident – explosion
Boston, Massachusetts
$6,600,000,000 (2005)
Damages are out-of-court settlements only; repairs took 133 man-months
21
1953
1953 New York Central Railroad accident
Accident – railroad
Conneaut, Ohio
21
1957
Early-April 1957 tornado outbreak sequence
Tornado outbreak sequence
Central United States , Eastern United States
$9,500,000
21
1959
Arkansas Negro Boys' Industrial School
Fire (building)
Wrightsville, Arkansas
21
1968
Los Angeles Airways Flight 417
Accident – aircraft
Compton, California
21
1983
Hurricane Alicia
Tropical cyclone
Texas
21[ 77]
1986
Walker River bus crash
Accident – tour bus
Walker, California
21
1987
February 1987 nor'easter
Winter storm, shipwrecks
Mid-Atlantic United States
18 deaths on MV Balsa 24 , and 3 deaths on the Delores Marie
21
1989
Alton, Texas bus crash
Motor vehicle accident
Alton, Texas
21
1991
Andover tornado outbreak
Tornado outbreak
Great Plains
$250,000,000
Including one tornado which killed 17 people near Andover, Kansas
21
2003
Air Midwest Flight 5481
Accident – aircraft
Charlotte, North Carolina
21
2003
2003 E2 nightclub stampede
Stampede
Chicago, Illinois
21
2007
2007 Groundhog Day tornado outbreak
Tornado outbreak
Central Florida
$218,000,000
21
2007
Tropical Storm Erin (2007)
Tropical cyclone
Texas , Oklahoma , Missouri
21
2008
Tropical Storm Fay (2008)
Tropical cyclone
Puerto Rico , Southeastern United States
21
2009
2009 North American Christmas blizzard
Winter storm
Midwest , Great Plains , Eastern United States
21
2014
Early 2014 North American cold wave
Cold wave
Central United States , Eastern United States
21–23
2018
2018 Southern California mudflows
Debris flow
Southern California
163 injured. 65 residences destroyed, 462 residences damaged, 8 commercial buildings destroyed, 20 commercial buildings damaged
20
1860
USCS Robert J. Walker (1844)
Accident – shipwreck
Off New Jersey
20
1872
Great Boston fire of 1872
Fire (urban conflagration)
Boston, Massachusetts
$73,500,000 (1872)
20
1874
Chicago Fire of 1874
Fire (urban conflagration)
Chicago, Illinois
20+
1881
Tornado outbreak of June 1881
Tornado outbreak
West North Central States
20
1882
SS Escambia
Accident – shipwreck
San Francisco , California
20
1890
1890 Quincy train wreck
Accident – railroad
Quincy, Massachusetts
20-24
1907
Standard Steel Car Company mill explosion
Accident - Explosion
Butler, Pennsylvania
$100,000 (1907)
[citation needed ]
20
1907
Woodlawn derailment
Accident – railroad
Woodlawn , The Bronx , New York City
The day after the New York Central Railroad inaugurated electrical train service in New York City and suburban Westchester County , an electric engine (which had a higher center of mass than the old steam engines) jumped the tracks on a curve leading into Woodlawn station. Wreckage was strewn over a mile (1.6 km) with 20 dead and 150 injured.
20
1916
SS S.R. Kirby
Accident – shipwreck
Off Eagle Harbor, Michigan
20
1916
1916 Texas hurricane
Tropical cyclone
Texas
20
1924
1924 Nixon Nitration Works disaster
Accident – explosion
Nixon, New Jersey
20
1928
Preble Box Toe Company explosion
Accident – explosion
Lynn, Massachusetts
20
1943
American Airlines Flight 63 (Flagship Ohio)
Accident – aircraft
Allen County, Kentucky
20
1948
1948 Donora smog
Smog
Donora, Pennsylvania
20
1957
Northeast Airlines Flight 823
Accident – aircraft
Queens, New York
20
1968
Allegheny Airlines Flight 736
Accident – aircraft
Bradford, Pennsylvania
20+
1969
December 1969 nor'easter
Winter storm
Northeastern United States
20[ 78]
1976
Pathfinder Hotel explosion
Accident - explosion
Fremont, Nebraska
20
1978
Coates House Hotel
Fire (building)
Kansas City, Missouri
20[ 79]
1999
Jasper, Arkansas bus crash
Accident – tour bus
New Orleans, Louisiana
Plunged over embankment, carrying senior citizens from casino[citation needed ]
20
2005
Ethan Allen boating accident
Accident – shipwreck
Lake George (New York)
Overloaded tour boat capsized from another boat's wake.
20
2005
Chalk's Ocean Airways Flight 101
Accident – aircraft
Off Miami Beach, Florida
20
2008
Tornado outbreak sequence of June 3–11, 2008
Tornado outbreak sequence, flood
Central United States , Eastern United States
$146,900,000
7 tornado deaths, 13 from other events (see also June 2008 Midwest floods )
20
2010
June 2010 Arkansas floods
Flood
Albert Pike Recreation Area near Langley, Arkansas
20
2011
2011 Mississippi River floods
Flood
Mississippi River Valley
20
2017
Tornado outbreak and floods of April 28 – May 1, 2017
Tornado outbreak, flood
High Plains , Western United States (Rocky Mountains ), Ohio Valley , Upper Midwest , Southeastern United States
5 deaths from tornadoes, 15 from other causes
20
2018
Schoharie limousine crash
Motor vehicle accident
Schoharie, New York
Stretch limo ran a stop sign on a three-way intersection, killing all 18 inside and two people in a parking lot
20
2021
2021 Tennessee floods
Flood
Middle Tennessee
19+
2020
George Floyd protests
Riot
Minneapolis, Minnesota , Various cities in the United States
~$1,500,000,000 - $2,500,000,000
Widespread protests and riots across the United States after the murder of George Floyd . Amid clashes with law enforcement and widespread looting, many criminals were emboldened. At least 12 people were fatally shot, while two others were killed by vehicles.[ 80]
19
1863
CSS Chattahoochee
Accident – shipwreck
Apalachicola River
19[ 81]
1871
Los Angeles Chinese massacre of 1871
Mass racial violence
Old Chinatown, Los Angeles , California
19
1878
Wollaston disaster
Accident – railroad
Quincy, Massachusetts
19
1888
SS City of Chester
Accident – shipwreck
Golden Gate , California
19
1897
Garrison train crash
Accident – railroad
Garrison, New York
19
1908
Great Chelsea fire of 1908
Fire (urban conflagration)
Chelsea, Massachusetts
19
1917
USS F-1
Accident – shipwreck
Off Point Loma, San Diego, California
19[ 39]
1926
Picatinny Arsenal fire
Accident – lightning strike
Morris County, New Jersey
19
1943
Pan Am Flight 1104
Accident – aircraft
Mendocino County, California
19
1943
1943 Surprise Hurricane
Tropical cyclone
Louisiana , Texas
19
1944
Long Creek air disaster
Accident – aircraft
South Portland, Maine
19
1944
US Army C-47 crash
Accident – aircraft
Mount Deception (Alaska)
19
1950
1950 Fairfield-Suisun Boeing B-29 crash
Accident – aircraft
Fairfield-Suisun Air Force Base , California
19
1953
BCPA Flight 304
Accident – aircraft
Near Woodside, California
19
1956
McKee refinery fire
Fire (industrial)
Near Sunray, Texas
19
1957
Tornado outbreak sequence of December 18–20, 1957
Tornado outbreak sequence
Midwestern United States , Southern United States
19
1962
Tornado outbreak of March 30–31, 1962
Tornado outbreak
Southeastern United States
$3,380,000
Including 17 deaths from a single tornado in Milton, Florida and two lightning deaths
19
1964
Christmas flood of 1964
Flood
Pacific Northwest
19
1969
Prinair Flight 277
Accident – aircraft
Fajardo, Puerto Rico
19
1970
Tropical Depression Fifteen (1970)
Tropical cyclone
Puerto Rico , U.S. Virgin Islands
19
1974
1974 Blythe, California bus crash
Accident – bus
Ripley, California
19
1992
December 1992 nor'easter
Winter storm
Northeastern United States
19
1996
Hurricane Hortense
Tropical cyclone
Puerto Rico
19
2000
2000 Marana V-22 crash
Accident – aircraft
Near Tucson, Arizona
19
2000
2000 East Coast Aviation Services British Aerospace Jetstream crash
Accident – aircraft
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
19
2000
USS Cole bombing
Terrorism
Aden, Yemen
Including the two perpetrators
19
2013
Yarnell Hill Fire
Wildfire
Yarnell, Arizona
19 firefighters were killed when they became trapped in the fast-spreading fire.
19
2023
2023 Lewiston shootings
Mass shooting
Lewiston, Maine
Including the perpetrator
18[ 82]
1878
Great Mill Disaster
Accident - grain dust explosion
Minneapolis, Minnesota
18
1887
Accident - mine explosion
Savanna, Oklahoma (then Choctaw Nation in Indian Territory)
Explosions in Savanna Coal Mining and Trading Company Mines #1 and #2 killed 6 miners and 12 rescuers.[ 83]
18
1892
SS W.H. Gilcher
Accident – shipwreck
Lake Michigan
18
1911
Indianola train wreck
Accident – railroad
Indianola, Nebraska
18
1928
1928 Times Square derailment
Accident – railroad
New York City, New York
18
1947
Eastern Air Lines Flight 665
Accident – aircraft
Galax, Virginia
18
1947
Pan Am Flight 923
Accident – aircraft
Annette Island , Alaska Territory
18
1960
1960 Texas tropical storm
Tropical cyclone
Texas , Arkansas
18
1961
United Airlines Flight 859
Accident – aircraft
Denver, Colorado
18
1966
Tornado outbreak sequence of June 1966
Tornado outbreak sequence
Southern United States , Midwestern United States , Great Plains
$250,603,000
Including 16 deaths from a single tornado in Topeka, Kansas
18
1966
University of Texas massacre
mass murder – school shooting
Austin, Texas
Including the perpetrator and an unborn child
18
1966
West Coast Airlines Flight 956
Accident – aircraft
Clackamas County, Oregon
18
1993
Northwest Airlink Flight 5719
Accident – aircraft
Hibbing, Minnesota
18
2000
Tornado outbreak of February 13–14, 2000
Tornado outbreak
Southeastern United States
18
2001
2001 Avjet Gulfstream III crash
Accident – aircraft
Pitkin County, Colorado
18
2006
Hanukkah Eve windstorm of 2006
Extratropical cyclone
Washington , Oregon
18
2007
2007 Midwest flooding
Flood
Midwestern United States
18
2011
Tropical Storm Lee (2011)
Tropical cyclone
Gulf Coast of the United States , Eastern United States
18
2013
Early February 2013 North American blizzard
Blizzard
Eastern United States
18
2015
Tornado outbreak of December 23–25, 2015
Tornado outbreak
Mississippi , Tennessee , Indiana , Illinois , Alabama
$1,606,000,000 (2020)
Including five non-tornadic deaths
17–20
1861
Platte Bridge Railroad Tragedy
Accident – railroad
St. Joseph, Missouri
17
1898
SS L.R. Doty
Accident – shipwreck
Lake Michigan
17
1903
Purdue Wreck
Accident – railroad
Indianapolis, Indiana
17
1905
Baker Bridge train wreck
Accident – railroad
Lincoln, Massachusetts
17
1910
Morewood Lake Ice Company explosion
Accident – explosion
Pittsfield, Massachusetts
17
1919
SS Myron
Accident – shipwreck
Lake Superior
17–35+
1923
Allen Street Bridge disaster
Accident – collapse
Cowlitz River , Washington
Fatalities estimated
17
1936
American Airlines Flight 1 (1936)
Accident – aircraft
Near Goodwin, Arkansas
17
1944
USS YF-415
Accident – shipwreck
Hingham, Massachusetts
Including one person who died of his injuries after being rescued
17
1947
O'Connor Plating Works disaster
Accident – explosion
Los Angeles, California
17
1950
Hurricane Dog (1950)
Tropical cyclone
East Coast of the United States
Including three deaths in a car accident in Bel Air, Maryland , two drowning deaths in Lexington, Virginia , and 12 deaths in New England
17
1951
Great Flood of 1951
Flood
Kansas , Missouri
17
1951
Hurricane How
Tropical cyclone, shipwreck
Cape Hatteras , North Carolina
17 people were killed in the wreck of the Southern Isle
17
1953
SS Henry Steinbrenner
Accident – shipwreck
Lake Superior
17
1954
Hurricane Alice (June 1954)
Tropical cyclone
Texas
17
1962
United Airlines Flight 297
Accident – aircraft
Near Ellicott City, Maryland
17
1965
Pipeline explosion and fire
Accidents – pipeline accidents
Natchitoches, Louisiana
[ 84]
17
1965
Early May 1965 tornado outbreak
Tornado outbreak
Great Plains , Midwestern United States
$51,000,000
17
1968
USCGC White Alder (WLM-541)
Accident – shipwreck
Mississippi River , near White Castle, Louisiana
17
1972
Mohawk Airlines Flight 405
Accident – aircraft
Albany, New York
17
1979
Downeast Flight 46
Accident – aircraft
Rockland, Maine
17
1984
1984 Romeoville petroleum refinery disaster
Accident – explosion
Romeoville, Illinois
17
1990
1990 ARCO explosion
Accident – explosion
Channelview, Texas
17
1991
Interstate 5 dust storm accident
Accident – automobile
Coalinga, California
17
2002
Beltway sniper attacks
mass murderserial killings
Washington metropolitan area
3 injured in the Beltway sniper attacks and 7 in preliminary shootings
17
2004
December 21–24, 2004 North American winter storm
Winter storm
South Central United States , Ohio Valley
Additional death in Canada
17
2005
Los Angeles County flood of 2005
Flood
Los Angeles County, California
Including 10 deaths in the La Conchita landslide
17
2008
Early Spring 2008 Midwest floods
Flood
Central United States
17
2008
Sherman, Texas bus accident
Accident – bus
Sherman, Texas
17
2018
Stoneman Douglas High School shooting
School shooting
Parkland, Florida
Former student Nikolas Cruz, was dropped off by an Uber car to Stoneman Douglas High School, shot and killed 14 students and 3 staff members, left the scene and was later arrested in Coral Springs .
17
2018
Table Rock Lake duck boat accident
Accident – shipwreck
Branson, Missouri
17
2022
2022 Bronx apartment fire
Fire (building)
The Bronx , New York City , New York
16
1804
1804 New England hurricane
Tropical cyclone
New England
16
1833
Lioness (steamship)
Accident – explosion, shipwreck
Near Colfax, Louisiana
16
1862
USS Monitor
Accident – shipwreck
Off Cape Hatteras , North Carolina
16
1890
1890 Wilkes-Barre tornado
Tornado
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
16
1905
SS Kaliyuga
Accident – shipwreck
Lake Huron
16–20
1914
SS Benjamin Noble
Accident – shipwreck
Near Knife River, Minnesota
16
1926
La Plata tornado of 1926
Tornado
La Plata, Maryland
13 killed in La Plata Elementary School
16
1947
Great Fires of 1947
Wildfires
Maine
16
1955
TWA Flight 260
Accident – aircraft
Bernalillo County, New Mexico
16
1956
Hurricane Betsy (1956)
Tropical cyclone
Puerto Rico
16
1956
Lariat Cafe explosion
Accident – explosion
Monticello, Utah
16
1967
Hurricane Beulah
Tropical cyclone
Puerto Rico , Texas
16
1970
Laguna Fire
Wildfire
Laguna Mountains , California
16
1978
Waverly, Tennessee, tank car explosion
Accident – railroad
Waverly, Tennessee
An additional 43 injured
16
1978
1978 Whippoorwill tornado
Tornado, shipwreck
Pomona Lake , Kansas
Tornado struck a tourist boat, causing it to capsize
16
1987
1987 Maryland train collision
Accident – railroad
Chase, Maryland
16
1987
The Dover massacre
mass murderspree killer
Dover, Arkansas – Russellville, Arkansas
16
1991
Hurricane Bob
Tropical cyclone
East Coast of the United States
16
2006
2006 Mid-Atlantic United States flood
Flood
Mid-Atlantic United States
16
2012
Late December 2012 North American storm complex
Tornado outbreak, blizzard
Alaska , Contiguous United States
$150,000,000
16
2015
2015 Texas–Oklahoma flood and tornado outbreak
Tornado outbreak, flood
Great Plains , Southern United States
Additional 14 deaths occurred in Mexico
16
2015
2015 San Bernardino attack
Terrorism
San Bernardino, California
An additional 24 injured
16
2016
2016 Lockhart hot air balloon crash
Accident – hot air balloon
Lockhart, Texas
Deadliest ballooning disaster in U.S. history
16–19
2017
March 2017 North American blizzard
Blizzard
Northeastern United States , Upper Midwest , Great Plains
16
2017
2017 United States Marine Corps KC-130 crash
Accident – aircraft
Leflore County, Mississippi
16
2020
North Complex fire
Wildfire
Plumas National Forest , California
16
2021
Tornado outbreak sequence of March 24–28, 2021
Tornado outbreak sequence
Southeastern United States
$3,200,000,000
Including one indirect and eight non-tornadic deaths
15
1815
1815 North Carolina hurricane
Tropical cyclone
North Carolina
15
1881
City of Muskegon
Accident – shipwreck
Lake Michigan
15
1883
1883 Tehachapi train wreck
Accident – railroad
Tehachapi, California
15[ 85]
1892
Mare Island Naval Yard explosion
Accident – explosion
Vallejo, California
15 sailors from USS Boston (1884) killed in black-powder explosion
15
1902
Park Avenue main line
Accident – railroad
New York City, New York
15
1917
1917 Nueva Gerona hurricane
Tropical cyclone
Louisiana , Florida
10 in Louisiana, 5 in Florida
15
1936
MV Material Service
Accident – shipwreck
Lake Michigan
15
1937
Blackwater Fire of 1937
Wildfire
Shoshone National Forest , Wyoming
15
1948
1948 Columbia River flood
Flood
Vanport, Oregon
15
1950
Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 307
Accident – aircraft
Minneapolis , Minnesota
15
1953
Rattlesnake Fire
Wildfire
Mendocino National Forest , California
15
1954
Cleveland Hill Middle School fire
Fire (building)
Cheektowaga, New York
15
1955
1955 Cincinnati mid-air collision
Accident – aircraft
Boone County, Kentucky
15
1956
Hurricane Flossy (1956)
Tropical cyclone
Gulf Coast of the United States , East Coast of the United States
15
1958
Westover Air Force Base KC-135 crash
Accident – aircraft
Chicopee, Massachusetts
15
1969
Scandinavian Airlines System Flight 933
Accident – aircraft
Santa Monica Bay , near Los Angeles, California
15
1969
Tornado outbreak of August 6, 1969
Tornado outbreak
Minnesota , Nebraska
$4,270,000
15
1984
Beverly rooming house fire
Arson
Beverly, Massachusetts
15
1986
Edmond post office shooting
mass murder
Edmond, Oklahoma
14 victims and 1 perpetrator
15
1994
Flagship Airlines Flight 3379
Accident – aircraft
Morrisville, North Carolina
15
1999
Columbine High School massacre
mass murder – school shooting
Jefferson County, Colorado
Armed with 2 sawed-off shotguns , a TEC-9 pistol and a carbine , Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold entered their school in Littleton and opened fire at the students and staff, killing 12 students, 1 teacher and then killing themselves.
15
2003
Cedar Fire
Wildfire
San Diego County, California
Burned 273,246 acres and 2,820 structures
15
2005
Texas City refinery explosion
Accident – explosion
Texas City, Texas
15
2005
Hurricane Dennis
Tropical cyclone
Florida , Alabama , Mississippi
15
2009
Tornado outbreak of February 10–11, 2009
Tornado outbreak
Central United States , Eastern United States
$18,100,000
Including seven non-tornadic deaths
15
2011
World Wide Tours bus crash
Accident – tour bus
Bronx, New York
En route to Connecticut casino, March 12
15
2012
2012 Leap Day tornado outbreak
Tornado outbreak
Great Plains , Ohio Valley
$475,000,000
15
2013
West Fertilizer Company explosion
Accident – explosion
West, Texas
More than 160 people were injured. Several years later, investigators concluded that the fire that preceded the explosion had been deliberately set .
15
2020
Hurricane Isaias
Tropical cyclone
East Coast of the United States , Puerto Rico
15
2023
February 2023 North American storm complex
Winter storm, tornado outbreak
East Coast of the United States , Puerto Rico
Western , Southern and Midwestern United States
See also
By type
By location
References
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