As of 2026-10-12, 1931 China floods tops the list with 4,000,000 deaths.
- #1 1931 China floods — 4,000,000 deaths
series of devastating floods
The 1931 China floods, or the 1931 Yangtze–Huai River floods, were a series of devastating floods that occurred from June to August 1931 in China, hitting major cities such as Wuhan, Nanjing and beyond, and eventually culminating in a dike breach along Lake Gaoyou on 25 August 1931. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #2 1048 Yellow River flood — 1,000,000 deaths
natural disaster
The 1048 Yellow River flood was a natural disaster along the Yellow River in China that was caused by the failure of a fascine in Shanghu in 1048 AD. It caused over a million people to be killed and many displaced, and was a major cause of the Song dynasty's eventual decline in power. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #3 1887 Yellow River flood — 900,000 deaths
flood on the Yellow River in China
The 1887 Yellow River flood in the Qing Dynasty was a flood in China that began in late September 1887 and killed at least 930,000 people. It was the single deadliest flood in Chinese history, as well as one of the largest natural disasters by death toll in recorded history. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #4 1938 Yellow River flood — 500,000 deaths
Man-made flood in China caused by NRA
The 1938 Yellow River flood was a man-made flood in China from June 1938 to January 1947 created by the intentional destruction of levees on the Yellow River in Huayuankou, Henan, by the National Revolutionary Army (NRA) during the Second Sino-Japanese War. The first wave of floods hit Zhongmu County on 13 June 1938. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #5 2013 North India floods — 5,748 deaths
Floods happened in Northern India in 2013
In June 2013, a mid-day cloudburst centered on the North Indian state of Uttarakhand caused devastating floods and landslides, becoming the country's worst natural disaster since the 2004 tsunami. The rainfall received that month was far greater than the rainfall the state usually received. Debris blocked the rivers, causing major overflow. The main day of the flood was 16 June 2013. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #6 Storm Daniel — 5,300 deaths
2023 storm in the Mediterranean Sea
Storm Daniel, also known as Medicane Daniel or Cyclone Daniel, was a relatively weak yet catastrophic and erratic tropical cyclone that became the deadliest Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone in recorded history, as well as the second-costliest tropical cyclone on record outside of the North Atlantic Basin. Forming as a low-pressure system around 4 September 2023, the storm affected Greece, Bulgaria, and Turkey with extensive flooding. The storm then organized as a Mediterranean low and was... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #7 Great Flood of 1862 — 4,000 deaths
flood in Oregon, Nevada, and California, occurring from December 1861 to January 1862
The Great Flood of 1862 was the largest flood in the recorded history of California, Oregon, and Nevada, inundating the Western United States and portions of British Columbia and Mexico. It was preceded by weeks of continuous rains and snows that began in Oregon in November 1861 and continued into January 1862. This was followed by a record amount of rain from January 9–12, and contributed to a flood that extended from the Columbia River southward in western Oregon, and through California to... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #8 1949 Eastern Guatemalan Floods — 4,000 deaths
1949 series of floods
On October 14–16, 1949, a series of violent and devastating floods killed an estimated 1,000 to 40,000 people in Central America, principally Guatemala. Estimates of the death toll ranged from 1,000 to 40,000, with reliable estimates suggesting 4,000 fatalities, placing the floods as some of the deadliest in recorded history. Estimated monetary losses ranged from $15,000,000 to $40,000,000. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #9 2010 China floods — 3,189 deaths
deadly floods throughout China
Floods in China in 2010 resulted in over 3,000 deaths. Three hundred and ninety-two people died, and a further 232 people were reported missing as of June 30, 2010, including 57 people in a landslide in Guizhou. Fifty-three of the deaths occurred from the flooding and landslides between May 31 and June 3, and 266 deaths occurred between June 13 and June 29. Four hundred and twenty four people were killed by the end of June, including 42 from the Guizhou landslide; 277 more were killed and 147... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #10 North Sea flood of 1953 — 2,373 deaths
late January-early February 1953 North sea flood storm
The North Sea flood of 1953, also known as the Big Flood or East Coast Flood or as the Flood Disaster, was a flood caused by a heavy storm surge in the North Sea that struck low-lying coastal areas of the Netherlands, Belgium, and the United Kingdom. More than 2,000 people were killed on land and hundreds more at sea. It was the worst natural disaster of the 20th century in the United Kingdom and the worst in the Netherlands since the Middle Ages. Read more on Wikipedia.
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