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Subject: E19) How many direct hits by hurricanes of various categories have affected each state?

Contributed by Chris Landsea


This table, updated from Jarrell et al. (2001), shows the number of hurricanes affecting the United States and individual states, i.e., direct hits. The table shows that, on the average, close to seven hurricanes every four years (~1.75 per year) strike the United States, while about three major hurricanes cross the U.S. coast every five years (0.60 per year). Other noteworthy facts, updated from Jarrell et al. (2001), are:

  1. Forty percent of all U.S. hurricanes hit Florida
  2. Eighty-three percent of category 4 or higher hurricanes strikes have hit either Florida or Texas
  3. Pennsylvania's only hurricane strike between 1851-2004 was in 1898 (from Blake et al. 2005).
Hurricane direct hits on the mainland U.S. coastline and for individual states by Saffir/Simpson category
1851-2006
AREACATEGORY Major
Hurricanes
12345ALL
U.S. Coastline
(Texas to Maine)		113747618328497
Texas231812706019
(North)127340267
(Central)75220164
(South)95710228
Louisiana181415415220
Mississippi25801169
Alabama125600236
Florida4433296211437
(Northwest)271612005512
(Northeast)138100221
(Southwest)1687413612
(Southeast)131311314115
Georgia125210203
South Carolina196420316
North Carolina221311104613
Virginia92100121
Maryland1100020
Delaware2000020
New Jersey2000020
Pennsylvania1000010
New York61500125
Connecticut43300103
Rhode Island3240094
Massachusetts52300103
New Hampshire1100020
Maine5100060

Notes:

Updated from Jarrell et al. (2001).
State totals will not equal U.S. totals and Texas and Florida totals will not necessarily equal sum of sectional totals.
Regional definitions are found in Appenix A of Jarrell et al. (2001).

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