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June 30, 2004
LSU Researchers Examine 100+ Years of
Hurricane Hits Along East Coast, Gulf
Coast
Three LSU researchers have examined more than
100 years of data on hurricane strikes from the
coast of Texas to New England and they’ve
found that, historically, the
“hottest” region for hits is South
Florida, followed by North Carolina and the
Northern Gulf Coast, from East Texas to the
Florida panhandle.
Early results from their research also reveal
certain trends, such as a major decline in
activity for the South Florida coast and a marked
increase in activity for North Carolina,
particularly in the Cape Hatteras region.
LSU Assistant Professor of Geography and
Anthropology Barry Keim, LSU Professor Emeritus
Bob Muller and James P. Morgan Distinguished
Professor Greg Stone, examined 45 points along
the Gulf and East Coasts, from South Padre
Island, Texas, to Eastport, Maine.
Keim said that storm frequency in the region has
been the subject of previous research, but there
has been no large-scale examination of hurricane
strike trends and how they vary geographically.
”Data for the Northern Gulf Coast showed
high frequencies, but no trends
whatsoever,” said Keim. “However, of
the two ‘hot spots’ on the East
Coast, South Florida has seen a dramatic decline
in activity, while North Carolina has seen a
dramatic increase since 1900.”
Keim explained that, despite major strikes like
Hurricane Andrew, the last 50 years have been
relatively benign to the South Florida coast,
with fewer major storms hitting the area
directly. Despite the trend, Keim said things
could easily change and South Florida could once
again become the primary “hot spot”
for strikes.
”When you look at the frequency of tropical
storms and hurricanes, Louisiana ranks right up
there with Key West, Fla., � each having 36
hits between 1900 and 2000,” said Muller.
According to Stone, director of LSU’s
Coastal Studies Institute, this is particularly
problematic for Louisiana, given the rapid
coastal land loss that the state is experiencing,
and the increased vulnerability of the coast to
storm surge and storm wave damage.
“These data show a definite clustering of
storms around certain parts of the country that
could have very important societal
implications,” said Stone. “For
example, despite no long-term trend in Northern
Florida, frequencies have been high since 1994,
which has resulted in dramatic beach erosion and
the subsequent need for widespread beach
nourishment. Such projects have cost taxpayers
tens of millions of dollars.”
The researchers plan to finalize their data and
issue a complete report on it in the coming
months. For more information, contact Barry Keim
at the Louisiana Office of State Climatology at
225-578-6170 or visit the LOSC Web site at
www.losc.lsu.edu.
###
Contact:
Rob Anderson
Louisiana State University
225-578-3871
rander8@lsu.edu This text derived from http://appl003.lsu.edu/unv002.nsf/9faf000d8eb58d4986256abe00720a51/56f352a380a482fd86256ebe0075dd5e?OpenDocument
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