As of 2026-10-12, Late January 2026 North American winter storm tops the list with 174 deaths.
- #1 Late January 2026 North American winter storm — 174 deaths
North American winter storm and European windstorm in 2026
From January 23 to January 27, 2026, a very large and expansive winter storm, unofficially referred to as Winter Storm Fern by The Weather Channel and various news outlets, or Snowmageddon in some areas, caused deadly and catastrophic ice and snow impacts across a very long stretch of land, encompassing Northern Mexico to the Southern and Northeastern United States and into Canada. The storm brought over two feet of snow to some locations in New Mexico and New England, and up to an inch of ice... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #2 December 2022 North American blizzard — 91 deaths
North American winter storm in late December 2022
From December 21 to 26, 2022, an extratropical cyclone, referred to unofficially as Winter Storm Elliott by the Weather Channel and numerous media outlets, and sometimes dubbed The Blizzard of the Century and the 2022 Buffalo blizzard in New York State, created crippling winter storm conditions, including blizzards, high winds, snowfall, and record cold temperatures across the majority of the United States and parts of Canada. Impacted areas included parts of Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin,... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #3 Gale of January 1976 — 82 deaths
extratropical cyclone and storm surge which occurred over January 1976
The Gale of January 1976, widely known as the "Capella" storm in Germany and the Ruisbroek flood in Belgium, was one in a series of extratropical cyclones and storm surges, which occurred over January 1976. The gale of 2–5 January 1976 resulted in severe wind damage across western and central Europe and coastal flooding around the southern North Sea coasts. At the time, this was the most severe storm of the century over the British Isles. Total fatalities reached 82 across Europe, although a... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #4 2023 Rio Grande do Sul floods — 47 deaths
natural disaster in Brazil in September 2023
In September 2023, heavy rainfall and strong winds from an extratropical cyclone resulted in the deaths of at least 47 people in Rio Grande do Sul state of Brazil, injuries to 940 people, and $1.3 million in damage. Flooding also impacted several municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul, including Bento Gonçalves, Caxias do Sul, Ibiraiaras, Lajeado do Bugre, Nova Bassano, Santo Expedito do Sul, and São Jorge. The floods also prompted declaration of a state of emergency in the state by governor... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #5 Columbus Day storm of 1962 — 46 deaths
Pacific typhoon and Pacific Northwest windstorm
The Columbus Day storm of 1962 was a Pacific Northwest windstorm that struck the West Coast of Canada and the Pacific Northwest coast of the United States on October 12, 1962. Typhoon Freda was the twenty-eighth tropical depression, the twenty-third tropical storm, and the eighteenth typhoon of the 1962 Pacific typhoon season. Freda originated from a tropical disturbance over the Northwest Pacific on September 28. On October 3, the system strengthened into a tropical storm and was given the... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #6 Eastern Canadian Blizzard of March 1971 — 30 deaths
The Eastern Canadian blizzard of March 1971 was a severe winter storm that struck portions of eastern Canada from March 3 to March 5, 1971. The storm was also nicknamed the "Storm of the Century" in Quebec. The event included the worst 24-hour snowfall on record in the city of Montreal with 43 centimetres of snow falling on March 4, for a total of 47 centimetres, until the one-day record was broken again on December 27, 2012. Higher terrain in eastern Quebec received as much as 80 centimetres.... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #7 Cyclone Klaus — 26 deaths
2009 windstorm over southern and southwestern Europe
Cyclone Klaus was a European windstorm or cyclone that made landfall over large parts of central and southern France, Spain and parts of Italy in January 2009. The storm was the most damaging since Lothar and Martin in December 1999. The storm caused widespread damage across France and Spain, especially in northern Spain. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #8 Storm Eunice — 16 deaths
storm
Storm Eunice was a powerful extratropical cyclone with hurricane-force winds that was part of the 2021–2022 European windstorm season. Storm Eunice was named by the UK Met Office on 14 February 2022. A red weather warning was issued on 17 February for parts of South West England and South Wales, with a second red warning issued on 18 February, the day the storm struck, for London, the South East and East of England. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #9 Storm Gloria — 14 deaths
extratropical cyclone which caused severe flooding in eastern Spain in early 2020
Storm Gloria affected eastern Spain and southernmost France with high winds and heavy rainfall. The system was named Gloria by the Spanish meteorological agency AEMET on 18 January, becoming the tenth named storm of the 2019–20 European windstorm season. The Free University of Berlin named the system Ilka. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #10 June 2020 Brazil bomb cyclone — 12 deaths
The June 2020 bomb cyclone was a hurricane-force extratropical cyclone in South Region, Brazil which impacted the states of Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul and Paraná on June 30, 2020. Twelve deaths were confirmed, ten in Santa Catarina, one in Rio Grande do Sul and one in Paraná. In addition to almost 1.9 million consumers without electricity in the three states. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata