Seems like there has been. Or have the ones that have battered the mainland of the U.S. and the Caribbean just been more violent?
(Secondary question: We had Frances, George, Ivan, and Jeanne. What happened to “H”?)
Several news reports have mentioned this is the first time four major hurricanes have struck the states in a single season.
Many hurricane seasons have gone to “M”. However, they may not all have hit Florida, so for Floridians, it may feel like an abnormal hurricane season.
But, what was the “A” tropical storm/hurricane this year? And, where did it hit?
- Jinx
It may be simply that 7 storms formed in August and 3 in September. June and July were noneventful, so the contrasting 10 storms over the next 8 weeks may seems as though it’s a particularly busy year. However, as for landfalls, this is (apparently, according to local news) the first time since 1886 (in Texas) that 4 four hurricanes (Charley, Frances, Ivan, Jeanne) have hit the same state. This is in addition to TS Bonnie, who also made landfall in Florida this year.
Um, not quite.
Alex, Bonnie, Charley, Danielle, Earl, Frances, Gaston, Hermine, Ivan, Jeanne, Karl, and Lisa.
Hmm…thought there was a George, for some reason.
So my follow-up question is this: is there a meteorological reason why four hurricanes have hit Florida, or is it simple coincidence? Are they disgruntled Calgary Flames fans or something?
A bunch of Canadians were beaten at hockey by swamp-dwelling Yanks. I can only imagine the curses they have levied on the state of Florida.
For some reason, I thought the A this year was Alphonse. Moving along, I, too, think this has been a banner year for hurricaines hitting Florida. What are the historical averages for hurricaines making it ashore in the Sunshine State?
See my post over in this thread for my understanding of why more hurricanes have hit Florida this year.
Here’s lists giving the cycles of hurricane and storm names. Gaston replaced Georges. No Alphonse on any of the lists.
The proximity of Karl with Lisa has inspired me: I want them to add a seventh list to the six-year Atlantic cycle made up completely of Simpson characters. Abraham, Bart, Carl, Disco Stu, Edna…
In 1995, the Atlantic got all the way to “T” (Tanya), which is the furthest they’ve gone on the list that I can tell.
I remember once on the Weather Channel Jim Cantore explaining what they would do if they go past W (last named storm). I think they start using the Greek alphabet.
Good grief, can none of you Google these questions? (Sorry for my use of “google” as a verb.) the NOAA web site has a wealth of historical data that you could all find for yourselves with just a teensy bit of effort. I’m providing links here, but I strongly suggest that the interested take a look at the FAQs. That would save me a lot of time.
According to the NOAA web site:
The answer to your questions sort of depend on what you ask. Do you mean all hurricanes, or just major hurricanes? Do they have to develop, wreak hahoc anywhere or just make landfall in the U.S.?
This chart shows us that 1886 is recorded as the most active hurricane season for the continental USA with 7 landfalling hurricanes. It’s certainly been a while.
Florida has more strikes in the U.S. than any other state, in any given year. This chart shows you a breakdown of U.S. Hurricane stirkes by State.
This chart which hasn’t yet been updated with 2004 data, clearly – shows how many hurricanes hit the U.S. in each decade. I see a slight increase or decrease each year. The last really active decade was in the 1940s so I’d say, assuming these things run in cycles, it’s probably not apocalyptic that 2004 had 4 major hurricanes hitting one state. Before I’d view this as an upward trend, I’d consider it just a blip in the grand scheme of things. Unless the next few years show us similar hurricane activity, in which case Floridians will become the best campers in the U.S. for having to learn to live without power for weeks on end every summer. I’m waiting for a several-year trend before I start looking for the Four Horsemen.