3. Hurricane Audrey crushed Louisiana and the Gulf region in June 1957
The month of June is not normally considered part of hurricane season, but in 1957 during late June one of the deadliest storms to ever strike the United States was formed in the Bay of Campeche in Mexico. The storm developed with staggering speed, from a tropical depression to a full-fledged hurricane in less than 48 hours, moving all the while towards Louisiana. First observed on June 25, it made landfall near the mouth of the Sabine River on June 27, with winds exceeding 125 miles per hour and a storm surge which pushed a twelve foot wall of water before it, in some instances travelling more than 25 miles inland across the low-lying terrain and bayous. Tornadoes born of the hurricane added to the damage and extended the wake of the storm. Heavy rains across the Gulf region contributed to the damage while simultaneously hindering the efforts of rescuers.
Audrey was credited, if that is the word, with spawning nearly two dozen tornadoes as it traveled north and east across the United States, eventually breaking apart over West Virginia. It also established rainfall records in the Midwest which still stand in many instances, such as the more than ten inches dropped at Paris, Illinois. The flash flooding which resulted from the rains caused further deaths and destruction as the storm moved by, with the strong winds dropping power lines and causing further destruction. Damage from the storm was experienced as far north as Ontario and Quebec, with ten fatalities reported in the Canadian city of Montreal as a result of the storm. At least 416 people were killed by the storm, though estimates of the number of dead ranged much higher in some areas, and its final death toll will likely never be known for certain.