Which US states are hit most often by hurricanes?

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A typical year will see the US hit with 12 named storms, 9 hurricanes and 3 major hurricanes, according to the Insurance Information Institute. But which state is most at risk — and how much does catastrophic weather cost us?

Where are hurricanes most common?

The West Coast is under the greatest threat of earthquakes and wildfires. But it’s states along the Atlantic coast or by the Gulf of Mexico that are most vulnerable to hurricanes, with Florida the most prone to landfall. In fact, since 1851, over 300 hurricanes have made landfall in the United States, affecting 19 states.

Top 10 hurricane states

1. Florida

Of the 301 hurricanes to make landfall in the US, 120 hit Florida — meaning the Sunshine State is affected by roughly 40% of all hurricanes. When these storms do make landfall in Florida, they have a good chance of being severe, with almost a third (31%) of the hurricanes to have hit Florida classified at Category 3, with winds from 111 to 128 mph.

2. Texas

Texas ranks second for most hurricanes in America, with its 64 hurricanes accounting for 21% of all hurricanes making landfall in the US. Once again, storms that hit Texas tend to be worse than in other parts of the country, with 30% of them considered major hurricanes.

3. Louisiana

Louisiana comes in at third for the highest number of hurricanes, tied with North Carolina. The Bayou State has attracted 62 hurricanes, accounting for some 21% of all hurricanes in the US. Hurricanes tend to be pretty severe, with 29% of hurricanes making landfall in Louisiana considered major hurricanes.

4. North Carolina

North Carolina ranks fourth for most hurricanes, accounting for 19% of all US hurricanes. The severity of storm systems between the states differs, with only 7 of its 58 hurricanes hitting North Carolina considered major hurricanes — one of the lowest percentages of all states affected by hurricanes.

5. South Carolina

Rounding out the top five states most affected by hurricanes is South Carolina, which accounts for about 10% of all hurricanes in the US — or 31 hurricanes in total. Unlike its northern counterpart, when hurricanes do hit South Carolina, they tend to be more intense, with 16% classified as major hurricanes.

6. Alabama

At No. 6 is sweet home Alabama, with 23 hurricanes making landfall in the state — 7.6% of all US hurricanes. Of those 23 hurricanes Alabama experienced, 52% were Category 1. When looking at major hurricanes, roughly 22% fell into this category.

7. Georgia

In not-so-lucky No. 7, we have Georgia, which makes up 7.0% of all US hurricanes. Of the 21 hurricanes making landfall in the Peach State, 3 were major hurricanes while a total of 18 made up the lesser hurricanes.

8. New York

The Big Apple makes number eight. New York owns 5.0% of all U.S. hurricanes. That’s a total of 15 hurricanes making landfall in New York. Only 20% of these hurricanes were classified as major hurricanes.

9. Mississippi

Coming in at number nine is arguably the state that is the most fun to spell, Mississippi. The “Hospitality State” hosts 4.7%, or 14 of all U.S. hurricanes. Major hurricanes made up 43% of Mississippi’s total.

10. Virginia

Completing our list of top 10 hurricane states is the Mother of States, Virginia, with 13 hurricanes making landfall in Virginia, or 4.3% of all U.S. hurricanes. Virginia actually had no major hurricanes, as all were categorized under Category 3.

State with the highest chance of a hurricane being a major hurricane

While Mississippi only accounts for 4.7% of all hurricanes to have hit the United States, when these storm systems do make landfall in Mississippi, they tend to be very strong. Over two-fifths (43%) of all hurricanes in Mississippi are major ones.

Number of hurricanes by state, 1851-2020

Note: Percentages sum to more than 100 percent because hurricanes can affect more than one state at a time.

When are hurricanes most likely to happen?

In the United States, the hurricane season runs from the beginning of June through the end of November. In fact, the US has never been hit by a hurricane outside those months.

September sees the most hurricanes, with about 37% of all hurricanes coming in that month. August has the next highest frequency of hurricanes at roughly 27%, followed by October at approximately 20%.

Most frequent month for hurricanes in the US

How much do hurricanes cost America?

The cost of hurricanes is on the rise, both financially and in terms of lives. 4 of the top 10 costliest hurricanes in America happened in the last 5 years, while 9 of the top 10 costliest hurricanes happened in the last 20 years.

Hurricane Katrina in 2005 devastated the US and was by far the most expensive hurricane in the country, causing $170 billion in damage and seeing 1,833 Americans lose their lives. While Katrina was the most expensive in terms of dollars, the costliest hurricane in regards to lives lost was Hurricane Maria in 2017, which saw 2,981 Americans perish.

Costliest hurricanes and tropical storms to affect the US

If you live in a hurricane-prone state, homeowners insurance will typically cover damage from storms. Policies generally cover damage from lightning, hail, strong winds and other storms. You will need a separate policy to protect yourself from flood damage. Additionally, if you live in these states, consider creating or investing in a hurricane kit.

Methodology

The data for the number of hurricanes to make landfall by state was sourced from the Hurricane direct hits on the mainland U.S. coastline and for individual states by Saffir/Simpson category, 1851-2020 data by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The frequency of hurricanes was calculated using the Continental United States Hurricane Impacts/Landfalls data by NOAA.

The costliest hurricane data was sourced from the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters, looking at tropical cyclones from 1980 to 2021.

For all media inquiries, please contact:

Chelsea Wells-Barrett, PR, Media Relations and Communications

E: uspr@finder.com