The 10 costliest hurricanes and tropical storms in U.S. history

Hurricane Sandy flooded towns and cities along the East Coast and caused massive power outages, leaving observers wondering where the devastating storm will fit among the nation’s costliest hurricanes. Here’s a look at the 10 costliest hurricanes as reported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Numbers were not adjusted for inflation.

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Hurricane Sandy

A view looking west on Canal Street after Hurricane Sandy left lower Manhattan without power in New York. The storm pounded the northeastern United States. There are reports that damages from Sandy may cost at least $20 billion.

Justin Lane / European Pressphoto Agency

No. 10: Hurricane Jeanne (2004)

A houseboat lies partially submerged as Hurricane Jeanne batters a yacht basin in Titusville, Fla. Jeanne was a Category 3 storm that dumped roughly 166 billion gallons of water on Florida. Damages from the hurricane totaled $7.7 billion, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Dave Martin / AP

No. 9: Tropical Storm Allison (2001)

Bryan Christiansen, right, and his cousin, Read Flake, paddle a rubber raft down Memorial Drive near downtown Houston. Thousands of people were forced out of their homes and thousands more were stranded on flooded freeways as torrential rains from Tropical Storm Allison swamped Houston and Southeast Texas. Damages from the storm totaled $9 billion.

Eric Gay / AP

No. 8: Hurricane Frances (2004)

In West Palm Beach, Fla., a portion of Interstate 95 gave way during Hurricane Frances, which had an eye that reached 60 miles wide. President George W. Bush declared 18 Florida counties disaster areas after millions were left without power and many communities flooded. The September hurricane caused $9.5 billion in damages.

Damon Higgins / AP

No. 7: Hurricane Rita (2005)

A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter is seen flying over Oak Grove, La., in the aftermath of Hurricane Rita. It had not even been a month after Hurricane Katrina devastated Louisiana when Rita came barreling into Texas and Louisiana. The Category 5 hurricane, whose winds reached 175 mph, caused $12 billion in damages.

David L. Ryan / AP

No. 6: Hurricane Charley (2004)

Members of the Florida National Guard patrol a storm-damaged neighborhood in Port Charlotte, Fla. Hurricane Charley, a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 145 mph, devastated southwest Florida, leaving thousands homeless, millions without electricity and many without water. Damages totaled $15.1 billion.

Chris O'Meara / AP

No. 5: Hurricane Ivan (2004)

The eye of Hurricane Ivan is photographed 230 miles above Earth as the storm enters the Gulf of Mexico. Ivan was a nightmare for Florida and Alabama. It was “just as powerful as Charley, which blew apart retirement towns on Florida's Gulf Coast a month earlier, and was just as big as Frances,” The Washington Post reported. Ivan caused $18.8 billion in damages.

Edward M. Fincke / AP

No. 4: Hurricane Wilma (2005)

Silvia Lesmez tries to clear a storm drain on a flooded street in a Pembroke Pines, Fla., neighborhood. Hurricane Wilma plowed into southwest Florida with howling 125 mph winds and dashed across the state to the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area. Damages from the Category 3 hurricane totaled $21 billion.

J. Pat Carter / AP

No. 3: Hurricane Andrew (1992)

A sailboat sits on a sidewalk at Dinner Key in Miami after it was washed ashore by Hurricane Andrew. With its fierce winds and rising waters, Andrew terrorized Florida and Louisiana. The hurricane not only destroyed homes, but it also leveled entire towns. Andrew caused $26.5 billion in damages.

Terry Renna / AP

No. 2: Hurricane Ike (2008)

Plywood on a boarded-up hotel reads "Stay Away Ike" in Key West, Fla., as preparations were underway for Hurricane Ike. The Category 2 hurricane, which stretched 600 miles, slammed into Texas and Louisiana. Homes were flattened, windows were ripped from office buildings and many areas were flooded. Ike caused $29.5 billion in damages.

Lynne Sladky / AP

No. 1: Hurricane Katrina (2005)

The costliest hurricane in U.S. history was 2005’s Hurricane Katrina. The storm, which had sustained winds of 175 mph before hitting landfall as a Category 3 hurricane, pummeled Louisiana and surrounding states. Some areas were covered with 20 feet of water. Katrina caused $108 billion in damages.

Rick Wilking / Reuters

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A man walks on sulphur and mineral salt formations near Dallol in the Danakil Depression, northern Ethiopia April 22, 2013. The Danakil Depression in Ethiopia is one of the hottest and harshest environments on earth, with an average annual temperature of 94 degrees Fahrenheit (34.4 Celsius). For centuries, merchants have travelled there with caravans of camels to collect salt from the surface of the vast desert basin. The mineral is extracted and shaped into slabs, then loaded onto the animals before being transported back across the desert so that it can be sold around the country. Picture taken April 22, 2013. REUTERS/Siegfried Modola (ETHIOPIA - Tags: BUSINESS SOCIETY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

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Graduating students' with rain soaked mortar boards from a driving rain, listen as US President Barack Obama delivers the commencement address during a ceremony at Morehouse College on May 19, 2013 in Atlanta, Georgia. AFP PHOTO/Mandel NGANMANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images

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