Every recorded landfalling hurricane in the U.S.

That’s a cool Graphic… it’s interesting that prior to 2024, in the large area between where Charlie hit in 2004 and where Idalia hit in 2023, there had only been one named storm to hit (Gladys 1968) in the last 60+ years… that’s a lot of coast line to have no impacts in 56 years….

 

I saw something on this a while back. I thought there was some type of scientific reason for it becuase its a crazy anamoly. Every where else its consistent but this large chunk almost nothing.

 

Jacksonville is kind of in a divot on the East coast, and thus, the Gulf stream is about 75 miles off the coast. Much further than a place like Miami. This creates a little cool water barrier and shoots the hurricanes up the warmer waters.

 

We have been very, very lucky over the past 75 years. Speaking as someone who has lost everything in a hurricane before and can put that aside to point out the unspeakable.

The real "Big One" is Ft. Lauderdale. In the early half of the 20th century it was blasted over and over again. Since then, the whole city has become Venice. Every street east of Andrew's Avenue is within spitting distance of a canal. When a Cat 4 crosses Las Olas, it's going to be a physical and financial bloodbath. In the law of averages it should be getting hit every few years but it has been lucky.

The runner-up "Big One" is the counterclockwise nature of Tampa Bay. I have seen firsthand what happens when a hurricane spinning counterclockwise packs up surge in a CC bay and then moves, releasing it. (Ivan in 2004, I live on Escambia Bay) It creates a tsunami. When I saw this happen, a bouy in the bay broke after recording a 60-foot wave of water and debris. We are talking about a complete inundation of Tampa across to Clearwater followed by a tsunami that is released across the bay, wiping Bradenton off the map.

Andrew pales in comparison to these two inevitable scenarios.

 

I thought Matthew hit Daytona. I guess it didn't actually make landfall there.

 

I've lived in that area since 83 with exception of a few years in between. We've had some pockets of significant flooding mostly from hurricanes that hit from the west. Overall we've been extremely safe from storms although given the damage from weakened eastbound storms as well as the flooding we did have, a direct hit from the east would wipe out the peninsula in volusia county and then some.

 

Stayed just far enough offshore to escape major impact going north.
Insurance inspector said it was first hit (graze) in 100 years.

 

Daytona has been grazed a few times.