Skip to main content

Some economists predict the likely cost of Hurricane Sandy could exceed $5-billion (U.S.). Here are the costliest tropical storms, in 2010 dollars, according to the U.S. National Weather Service:

Open this photo in gallery:

NO. 1: Katrina, 2005 <br> Damages: $105.8-billion (U.S.) <br> Visitors try to stay dry as rain falls on a monument listing some of the victims of Hurricane Katrina, before a service in Shell Beach, La., Aug. 29, 2010 to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the storm.Patrick Semansky/The Associated Press

1 of 10
Open this photo in gallery:

NO. 2: Andrew, 1992 <br> Damages: $45.6-billion <br> In 1992 Hurricane Andrew shredded Miami Metrozoo’s aviary, above, and killed most of its 300 exotic birds.RON MAGILL/The Associated Press

2 of 10
Open this photo in gallery:

NO. 3: Ike, 2008<br>Damages: $27.8-billion<br>Thousands of fish are left on the shoulder of a road as flood waters caused by Hurricane Ike recede in Orange, Tex., Sept. 15, 2008.Eric Gay/The Associated Press

3 of 10
Open this photo in gallery:

NO. 4: Wilma, 2005 <br> Damages: $20.6-billion <br> Waves lap up against Cancun in the aftermath of Hurricane Wilma, Oct. 26, 2005. The storm forced some tourists into damp, stinking shelters for days, devastated resorts and swallowed up famed white beaches.HENRY ROMERO/Reuters

4 of 10
Open this photo in gallery:

NO. 5: Ivan, 2004 <br>Damages: $19.8-billion<br>Pensacola Beach, Fla. residents walk past an SUV covered in sand by Hurricane Ivan on Sept. 22, 2004, the first time since the hurricane they had been allowed to check their homes.ALAN DIAZ/The Associated Press

5 of 10
Open this photo in gallery:

NO. 6: Charley, 2004 <br> Damages: $15.8-billion <br> A mobile home park in Punta Gorda, Fla., is shown Aug. 14, 2004 after the devastation of Hurricane Charley. The storm battered multimillion-dollar houses on exclusive islands off southwest Florida, prompting an initial damage estimate of $3-billion in one county alone.PIERRE DUCHARME/Reuters

6 of 10
Open this photo in gallery:

NO. 7: Hugo, 1989 <br> Damages: $12.8-billion <br> Houses, photographed on Sept. 22, 1989 along a beach they once faced, show some of the damage caused by Hurricane Hugo.© Tom Salyer / Reuters/Reuters

7 of 10
Open this photo in gallery:

NO. 8: Rita, 2005 <br> Damages: $11.8-billion <br> Michael Trahan and his daughter Michelle row away after rescuing two family dogs from their flooded home in Carlyss, Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricane Rita, Sept. 25, 2005.LEE CELANO/Reuters

8 of 10
Open this photo in gallery:

NO. 9: Agnes, 1972<br> Damages: $11.76-billion <br> This June 23, 1972 photo shows senior citizens being rescued from their homes by boats as a business burns in the background after Hurricane Agnes caused the Susquehanna River to overflow its banks in Wilkes Barre, Pa. Hurricane Agnes ravaged 12 states and was the United States’ costliest disaster at the time.The Associated Press

9 of 10
Open this photo in gallery:

NO. 10: Betsy, 1965<br>Damages: $11.2-billion<br>Flooding in New Orleans, above, caused by Hurricane Betsy devastated regions still recovering from 1964's Hurricane Hilda. The storm looped through the Gulf of Mexico and struck Louisiana, then travelled inland.

10 of 10

Interact with The Globe