The United States is the third-largest country on Earth in terms of area, stretching between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and bordering Canada in the north and Mexico in the south. The nation occupies 3.79 million square miles, which include the non-contiguous states of Alaska and Hawaii.

Given this expanse of land, it is not surprising that America has experienced natural disasters of every kind — tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, blizzards, floods, ice storms, heat waves, avalanches, and volcanic eruptions.

As we approach the most active part of tornado season, and as hurricane season begins, 24/7 Wall St. has compiled a list of the worst natural disaster in every state as ranked by loss of life. We used data and information from federal government agencies, as well as resource material, and newspaper and historical accounts from the time of the event to compile this list. In some cases, a disaster was so widespread and resulted in such a substantial loss of life that it remains the worst disaster in multiple states.

Click here to see the worst natural disaster in every state.
Click here to see our detailed findings and methodology.