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
|
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
|
|
|
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[46]
|
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[33]
|
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
|
Los Angeles runway disaster
|
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[47]
|
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.[48]
|
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[49]
|
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
|
|
|
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[50]
|
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
|
2023
|
2023 Hamas attack on Israel
|
Mass murder
|
various locations in Israel
|
|
A series of coordinated attacks on 7 October by the Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas resulted in the deaths of over 1,400 people throughout Israel, including 31 American citizens.[51]
|
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[52]
|
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.[53]
|
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[54]
|
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.[55]
|
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[56]
|
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[57]
|
1967
|
Dale's Penthouse fire
|
Fire (building)
|
Montgomery, Alabama
|
|
|
25[58]
|
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[59]
|
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[60]
|
1910
|
Chicago Union Stock Yards fire
|
Fire (industrial)
|
Illinois
|
|
21 firefighters
|
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[61]
|
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
|
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
|
|
|
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.
|
22+
|
1821
|
1821 Norfolk and Long Island hurricane
|
Tropical cyclone
|
East Coast of the United States
|
|
|
22+[62]
|
1861
|
Kentucky (steamboat)
|
Boiler explosion
|
Mississippi River near Helena, Arkansas
|
|
|
22
|
1865
|
1865 Viroqua tornado
|
Tornado
|
Viroqua, Wisconsin
|
|
|
22[63]
|
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, Allegheny County, 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 murder – 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[64]
|
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[65]
|
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[66]
|
1976
|
Pathfinder Hotel explosion
|
Accident - explosion
|
Fremont, Nebraska
|
|
|
20
|
1978
|
Coates House Hotel
|
Fire (building)
|
Kansas City, Missouri
|
|
|
20[67]
|
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.[68]
|
19
|
1863
|
CSS Chattahoochee
|
Accident – shipwreck
|
Apalachicola River
|
|
|
19[69]
|
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[33]
|
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.
|
18[70]
|
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.[71]
|
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
|
|
[72]
|
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 murder serial 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 murder spree 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[73]
|
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
|
|