Which US states are hit most often by hurricanes?

Hurricane season is upon us, but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued an elevated warning for tropical storms in 2023, raising its warning from “near normal” to “above normal”⁽¹⁾.

An average year will see the US hit with 12 named storms, 9 hurricanes and 3 major hurricanes. However, 2023’s increased warning sees the US being hit with possibly 14-21 named storms, of which 6-11 could become hurricanes and 2-5 of those having the potential to become major hurricanes. But which state is most at risk — and how much does catastrophic weather cost us?

2023 Hurricane season

So far the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season has seen 7 hurricanes and 13 named storms, with Hurricane Idalia being the first hurricane to hit US soil in 2023:

• Tropical Storm Arlene, June 1–3, 2023⁽²⁾
• Tropical Storm Bret, June 19–24, 2023⁽³⁾
• Tropical Storm Cindy, June 22–26, 2023⁽³⁾
• Hurricane Don (Category 1), July 14–24 ⁽⁴⁾
• Tropical Storm Gert, August 19–22, 2023⁽³⁾
• Tropical Storm Emily, August 20–21, 2023⁽³⁾
• Hurricane Franklin (Category 4), August 20-September 1, 2023 ⁽⁴⁾
• Tropical Storm Harold, August 21–23, 2023⁽³⁾
• Hurricane Idalia (Category 4), August 26-31, 2023⁽³⁾
• Tropical Storm Jose, August 29-September 2, 2023⁽⁴⁾
• Tropical Storm Katia, September 1-4, 2023⁽⁴⁾
• Hurricane Lee (Category 5), September 5-16, 2023⁽⁴⁾
• Hurricane Margot (Category 1), September 7–17, 2023⁽⁴⁾
• Hurricane Nigel (Category 2), September 15–22, 2023⁽⁴⁾
• Tropical Storm Ophelia, September 22–24, 2023⁽⁴⁾
• Tropical Storm Philippe, September 23 – October 6, 2023⁽⁴⁾
• Tropical Storm Rina, September 28 – October 2, 2023⁽⁴⁾
• Tropical Storm Sean, October 11-16, 2023⁽⁴⁾
• Hurricane Tammy (Category 2), October 18–29, 2023⁽⁴⁾
• Tropical Storm Ophelia, September 22–24, 2023⁽⁴⁾

Where are hurricanes most common?

States along the Atlantic coast or by the Gulf of Mexico are most vulnerable to hurricanes, with Florida as the most prone to landfall. Since 1851, over 300 hurricanes have made landfall in the United States, affecting 19 states.

Top 10 hurricane states

Let’s look at the top 10 states for hurricanes.

1. Florida

Florida has the highest number of hurricanes in the US, with 120 hurricanes making landfall in Florida, or 40.4% of all US hurricanes. Of those 120 hurricanes, 37 were major hurricanes at least Category 3, while 47 hurricanes were Category 1 and 36 were Category 2.

2. Texas

Texas is ranked as the state with the 2nd highest number of hurricanes in the US, with 66 hurricanes making landfall in Texas, or 22.22% of all US hurricanes. Of those 66 hurricanes, 19 were major hurricanes at least Category 3, while 31 were Category 1 and 16 were Category 2.

3. Louisiana

Louisiana is ranked as the state with the 3rd highest number of hurricanes in the US, with 56 hurricanes making landfall in Louisiana, or 18.86% of all US hurricanes. Of those 56 hurricanes, 18 were major hurricanes at least Category 3, while 24 were Category 1 and 14 were Category 2.

4. North Carolina

North Carolina is tied as the state with the 3rd highest number of hurricanes in the US, with 56 hurricanes making landfall in North Carolina, or 18.86% of all US hurricanes. Of those 56 hurricanes, 7 were major hurricanes at least Category 3, while 32 were Category 1 and 13 were Category 2.

5. South Carolina

South Carolina is ranked as the state with the 5th highest number of hurricanes in the US, with 30 hurricanes making landfall in South Carolina, or 10.10% of all US hurricanes. Of those 30 hurricanes, 5 were major hurricanes at least Category 3, while 17 were Category 1 and 8 were Category 2.

6. Alabama

Alabama is ranked as the state with the 6th highest number of hurricanes in the US, with 24 hurricanes making landfall in Alabama, or 8.08% of all US hurricanes. Of those 24 hurricanes, 5 were major hurricanes at least Category 3, while 14 were Category 1 and 5 were Category 2.

7. Georgia

Georgia is ranked as the state with the 7th highest number of hurricanes in the US, with 22 hurricanes making landfall in Georgia, or 7.41% of all US hurricanes. Of those 22 hurricanes, 3 were major hurricanes at least Category 3, while 16 were Category 1 and 3 were Category 2.

8. Mississippi

Mississippi is ranked as the state with the 8th highest number of hurricanes in the US, with 19 hurricanes making landfall in Mississippi, or 6.40% of all US hurricanes. Of those 19 hurricanes, 8 were major hurricanes at least Category 3, while 5 were Category 1 and 6 were Category 2.

9. New York

New York is ranked as the state with the 9th highest number of hurricanes in the US, with 15 hurricanes making landfall in New York, or 5.05% of all US hurricanes. Of those 15 hurricanes, 3 were major hurricanes at least Category 3, while 9 were Category 1 and 3 were Category 2.

10. Virginia

Virginia is ranked as the state with the 10th highest number of hurricanes in the US, with 12 hurricanes making landfall in Virginia, or 4.04% of all US hurricanes. Of those 12 hurricanes, 0 were major hurricanes at least Category 3, while 10 were Category 1 and 2 were Category 2.

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

While Mississippi only accounts for 6.4% of all hurricanes to have hit the United States, when these storm systems make landfall in Mississippi, they tend to be very strong. Over two-fifths (42%) of all Mississippi hurricanes are major.

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 42% of all hurricanes occurring in that month. August has the next highest frequency of hurricanes at roughly 30%, followed by October at approximately 20%.

Most frequent month for hurricanes in the US

• Chart
• Data table

How much do hurricanes cost America?

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

Costliest hurricanes and tropical storms to affect the US

Hurricane Katrina in 2005 devastated the US and was by far the most expensive hurricane in the country, causing $193,796 million 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.

• Chart
• Data table

However, while 2005’s Katrina was the most costly single event in the last 40 years, 2017 was the costliest year, with costs totaling $328,600 million in 2022 dollars.

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.

However, just 62% of those living in the 10 most hurricane affected states told finder that they currently have home or renters insurance, as part of Finder’s Consumer Confidence Index survey. By comparison, 69% of those surveyed in states that have never experienced a hurricane said they have home or renters insurance.

Methodology

The data for the number of hurricanes to make landfall by state was sourced from the Hurricane direct hits on the mainland US coastline and for individual states by Saffir/Simpson category, 1851-2022 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) US Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters, looking at tropical cyclones from 1980 to 2022.

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Chelsea Gregori, Public Relations Specialist

E: uspr@finder.com