9 Years Since Last U.S. Major Hurricane & FL Hurricane Hit!

[TheStormExpert]

Today October 24th, 2014 marks exactly 9 years (3,287 days and counting) since Hurricane Wilma made it's quick but yet deadly and powerful track across South Florida at approximately 6:30 a.m. EDT near Cape Romano, FL. Which is 22 miles south of Naples, FL. This was the eighth hurricane during a 15 month period to affect or make landfall on Florida. Coming ashore with a battering 125mph sustained winds making it a strong Cat.3, Wilma was the last Hurricane to not only affect Florida in 9 whole years, but it was the last Major Hurricane to hit the U.S. in 9 years.

My point here is not only to question and wonder how much longer the U.S. and Florida's hurricane streaks will hold but to look at how amazingly long and record-breaking these streaks have become! Hopefully we can make these streaks go on at least through 10 years but mother nature always as a trick or two up her sleeve to give pay back for these long lasting so called hurricane droughts we've luckily been in.

Seeing the destruction and devastation major hurricanes have done since 2005 on other places outside the U.S. (Like Odile, Gonzalo, Haiyan, etc.). Hopefully this makes people realize still how dangerous and deadly such strong storms can be.

[Hurricaneman]

next year could be bad if my idea that most of the low instability periods end up being 3 years as mentioned in other threads but being IMO probably coming out of an El Nino by April-May we might have the end of this low instability period

The posts in this forum are NOT official forecast and should not be used as such. They are just the opinion of the poster and may or may not be backed by sound meteorological data. They are NOT endorsed by any professional institution or storm2k.org. For official information, please refer to the NHC and NWS products

[HurricaneBill]

We've also gone 7 years without a Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic. The last one was Felix in 2007. Since 1950, the only longer gap between Category 5 hurricanes was 8 years. After Allen in 1980, the next Category 5 was Gilbert in 1988.

[TheStormExpert]

My concern is once these abnormally long (record breaking?) streaks end we may see a biggie similar to say Gilbert or Allen. Hopefully not though.

[HurricaneRyan]

Next year will be interesting. We will either have a decade long streak, OR it will be broken

[CrazyC83]

It also shows even weaker hurricanes can be devastating, since there have been numerous devastating US storms in those 9 years since (such as Gustav, Ike, Irene, Isaac and Sandy).

[Alyono]

I seriously wonder if this is the real record. How many of the category 3s in the historical record would really be cat 1 or 2s if they occurred today? I know that storms like Gustav, Irene, Ike, and Sandy would have been classified as category 3 hurricanes before, even using the reanalysis techniques due to the very low pressures.

[CrazyC83]

I seriously wonder if this is the real record. How many of the category 3s in the historical record would really be cat 1 or 2s if they occurred today? I know that storms like Gustav, Irene, Ike, and Sandy would have been classified as category 3 hurricanes before, even using the reanalysis techniques due to the very low pressures.

That is an interesting thought...especially in the early days of the analysis. While there are high-pressure majors as well (Cat 3 with pressures well in the 960s and even low 970s), those are typically in the deep tropics.

[Hammy]

We've also gone 7 years without a Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic. The last one was Felix in 2007. Since 1950, the only longer gap between Category 5 hurricanes was 8 years. After Allen in 1980, the next Category 5 was Gilbert in 1988.

As per 1954-63 reanalysis, the Cat 5's of 1960-60 were downgraded which puts 1956-66 as a consecutive eleven year period without one.

[RL3AO]

I really don't like the term "major" here. Especially when its based solely on winds when we know the water is usually the most devastating part of a TC. Ike was clearly a "major storm". Sandy was borderline.

[Hurricaneman]

We've also gone 7 years without a Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic. The last one was Felix in 2007. Since 1950, the only longer gap between Category 5 hurricanes was 8 years. After Allen in 1980, the next Category 5 was Gilbert in 1988.

As per 1954-63 reanalysis, the Cat 5's of 1960-60 were downgraded which puts 1956-66 as a consecutive eleven year period without one.

which means that the period without major hurricane landfalls and cat 5 hurricanes is not unprecidented but will it end next year or will it continue beyond and go into unprecidented territory

The posts in this forum are NOT official forecast and should not be used as such. They are just the opinion of the poster and may or may not be backed by sound meteorological data. They are NOT endorsed by any professional institution or storm2k.org. For official information, please refer to the NHC and NWS products

[HurricaneBill]

We've also gone 7 years without a Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic. The last one was Felix in 2007. Since 1950, the only longer gap between Category 5 hurricanes was 8 years. After Allen in 1980, the next Category 5 was Gilbert in 1988.

As per 1954-63 reanalysis, the Cat 5's of 1960-60 were downgraded which puts 1956-66 as a consecutive eleven year period without one.

Wait, they downgraded Hattie?

[CrazyC83]

We've also gone 7 years without a Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic. The last one was Felix in 2007. Since 1950, the only longer gap between Category 5 hurricanes was 8 years. After Allen in 1980, the next Category 5 was Gilbert in 1988.

As per 1954-63 reanalysis, the Cat 5's of 1960-60 were downgraded which puts 1956-66 as a consecutive eleven year period without one.

Wait, they downgraded Hattie?

It's not official yet by any means, but yes.

[somethingfunny]

I really don't like the term "major" here. Especially when its based solely on winds when we know the water is usually the most devastating part of a TC. Ike was clearly a "major storm". Sandy was borderline.

I totally agree with you here, however even the 6 year gap since Ike is a pretty stunning length of time for the US to go without a major hurricane. Sandy was something else entirely, though an incredible impact.