WQLN PBS NPR
8425 Peach Street
Erie, PA 16509

Phone
(814) 864-3001

© 2026 PUBLIC BROADCASTING OF NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Killer Hurricanes

Season 44 Episode 17 | 53m 11s

Devastating hurricanes struck the U.S. mainland and Caribbean islands in 2017. But they weren’t the first. The Great Hurricane of 1780 took nine days to blast its way across the Caribbean, killing at least 20,000—the highest known death toll of any single weather event in history. What made this superstorm so deadly?

Aired: 10/10/17 | Expires: 09/20/23
National Corporate funding for NOVA is provided by Carlisle Companies. Major funding for NOVA is provided by the NOVA Science Trust and PBS viewers.
Latest Episodes
The story of the dolphin reveals how intelligence evolved, step by step, over billions of years.
Inside the escalating military struggle to control space and the satellites we rely on.
Step into the stunning cave that’s reshaping our understanding of prehistoric art.
Witness how Native North Americans have generated scientific knowledge over thousands of years.
Follow the relentless quest that led to a breakthrough treatment for a deadly disease.
Archaeologists investigate the dramatic origins of democracy in ancient Greece 2,500 years ago.
Follow the Artemis mission to bring humanity back to the Moon for the first time since Apollo.
Surprising evidence at the world’s oldest temple overturns our understanding of human history.
A deadly—and growing—global weather phenomenon mystifies scientists.
Explore mammals’ surprising origins, long before the age of dinosaurs.
Extras
The story of the dolphin reveals how intelligence evolved, step by step, over billions of years.
Inside the escalating military struggle to control space and the satellites we rely on.
Step into the stunning cave that’s reshaping our understanding of prehistoric art.
Witness how Native North Americans have generated scientific knowledge over thousands of years.
Follow the relentless quest that led to a breakthrough treatment for a deadly disease.
Inside one mother's fight to ensure a healthy life for her child with cystic fibrosis.
Inside the race to bring life-saving genetic therapies to every person living with cystic fibrosis.
A simple fold can completely change how a material behaves.
Modern physics and imaging techniques are finally solving the mystery.
Time isn’t the same for everyone, according to Einstein.
WQLN PBS Passport is a member benefit that provides you with extended access to an on-demand library of quality public television programming!