Hurricane season is upon us in the United States and is expected to last through late November.
Researchers have identified over 300 counties along the east coast that are most vulnerable to destructive storms.
The data showed that the worst places are Broward and Palm Beach counties in Florida.
All but one of the top ten hurricane-hit counties are in Florida, North Carolina, or South Carolina — the lone exception being Chatham County, Georgia.
Scientists have predicted the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season will be “above normal” with up to 21 named storms, half of which could become hurricanes with winds of 74 miles per hour or more.
While California is being battered by Tropical Storm Hilary, it’s extremely rare for a direct storm to strike there — records suggest it might happen once a century.
Only three tropical storms have still struck California since 1900.
The analysis also found that four Category 5 hurricanes struck or affected Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina in the past decade between 2013 and 2022
Researchers have identified over 300 counties along the east coast that are most vulnerable to destructive storms
FOX40 meteorologist Adan Epstein said, “The California Current is an ocean current that brings cold water from the Gulf of Alaska along the coast of California.”
“This keeps our water temperatures at 55-75 degrees all year round.
“Hurricanes get their energy from water that is at least 80 degrees warm. They can’t physically maintain their structure and strength moving over cold water.”
Gutter Gnome’s new analysis comes as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is tracking three current storms — Franklin, Gert and Emily — in the Atlantic that could develop into hurricanes.
The official Atlantic Basin hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30, but tropical cyclone activity sometimes occurs before and after these dates
The Atlantic basin experienced an active start to the hurricane season with five storms already at least tropical storm strength, including one.
An average hurricane season produces 14 named storms, seven of which become hurricanes, including three major hurricanes.
Gutter Gnome collaborated with researchers from Pennsylvania State University, NOAA, and Louisiana State University for this analysis.
The team determined the ranking based on three categories: risk, hurricane history, and financial impact.
“For all 318 U.S. counties with a hurricane risk score as determined by the National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP), we then collected data on each factor from the sources listed below,” the company said in a blog post.
Broward County in Florida has been classified as Most At Risk with a score of 72.70. Hurricane Irma hit the region in 2017, reaching a Category 5 with winds of 117 miles per hour and resulting in the evacuation of at least six million Floridians
Palm Beach County, Florida placed second with a score of 72.09. Hurricane Ian slammed into Palm Beach County in September 2022, leaving more than 2.7 million residents without power
Finally, we calculated scores (out of 100 points) for each county to determine its rank in each factor, category, and overall.
“A county’s overall score is the average of its ratings across all factors and categories.”
The highest total score was classified as “Most Concern” (No. 1) and the lowest as “Least Concern” (No. 318).
Broward County in Florida has been classified as Most At Risk with a score of 72.70.
Located in the southeastern part of Florida, in the Miami metropolitan area, this region is the second largest country after Miami-Dade Land.
Hurricane Irma hit the region in 2017, reaching a Category 5 with winds of 117 miles per hour and resulting in the evacuation of at least six million Floridians.
Approximately 129 direct and indirect deaths were caused by Hurricane Irma and $50 billion in damage was incurred. This makes it the fifth costliest hurricane to hit the US mainland.
Palm Beach County, Florida placed second with a score of 72.09.
Stretching from Florida’s Atlantic coast to the state’s rural center and encompassing the northern edge of Everglades National Park, the region has experienced 98 hurricanes since 1930.
Hurricane Ian slammed into Palm Beach County in September 2022, leaving more than 2.7 million residents without power.
The storm brought winds of 155 miles per hour, and it rained up to 7 inches in some areas.
Charleston County in South Carolina has been found to be the third most at risk in the US.
Located on the Atlantic Seaboard, Charleston County received an overall score of 68.17.
Much of New England and the Texas coast are the quietest regions. Hurricanes are relatively rare in these areas and therefore there is little risk of physical and financial damage
This region has been hit by several devastating events, most notably Hurricane Hugo in 1989, which killed 67 people and caused $11 billion in damage.
When the hurricane made landfall, it unleashed winds of 140 miles per hour and was classified as a Category 4 storm.
Horry County, South Carolina took fourth place, followed by Miami-Dade County, Florida.
“The Sunshine State could also be called the Hurricane State because two counties, Broward and Palm Beach, have the two most hurricane-prone areas.” , Gutter Gnome shared.
“In fact, the 10 percent of the most vulnerable counties are made up almost entirely of just three states: Florida, South Carolina, and North Carolina.” Chatham County, Georgia (No. 8) and Harris County, Texas (No. 13) are the only exceptions in this one Group.
“Conversely, much of New England and the Texas coast are the calmest regions.” Hurricanes tend to be rare in these areas, so there is little risk of physical and financial damage.”
The analysis also found that four Category 5 hurricanes struck or affected Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina in the past decade between 2013 and 2022.
Honolulu County, Hawaii (#53 overall) is the only Pacific county in our ranking and had the highest hurricane activity at 12 in the last 10 years.
In this region, hurricanes – as tropical cyclones are called on the Atlantic coast – are called “typhoons”. It is the same weather phenomenon.