Millions of people in Florida, United States, are rushing to leave their homes, as the Hurricane Milton It is approaching towards the west coast of the state.
The hurricane, a Category Four storm, is expected to hit the Tampa area Wednesday night with fierce winds of up to 150 mph.
The president of the USA, Joe Bidenwarned that Leaving was a matter of “life or death.”and warned that this could be the worst storm the country has seen in 100 years.
However, it is true that in Florida the threat of these types of storms is part of daily life for local residents.
But why is this state so hit by hurricanes?
Key place on the map
Florida is no stranger to hurricanes. Each season, which runs from June to November, state residents receive notifications from local authorities on how to prepare for a potential storm.
The main reason why Florida has been hit by a long list of hurricanes and some that become very powerful is basically geographical.
It is a large state that spans hundreds of kilometers. More precisely, Florida occupies a territory of 170,312 km².
“Florida has a peninsula 400 miles (643 km) long, and the length of Florida’s coast is almost as long as the coasts of all the other states in the region from Virginia to Texas combined,” he tells BBC Mundo. Emily Powellassistant state climatologist at the Center for Oceanic-Atmospheric Prediction Studies at Florida State University.
In addition to its extensive territory, where the state is located is also key.
“When tropical systems begin to make their way into the western Atlantic or Gulf of Mexico region, Florida is very susceptible to landfall there“, clarifies the specialist.
The characteristics of the soil on the state’s coasts are another determining factor.
“Florida is also vulnerable to the impacts of tropical cyclones partly due to its low-lying coastal areas and bathymetry,” explains Powell.
Bathymetry is the study of the deep sea.
“The bathymetry of the west coast of Florida on the gulf side is very shallow compared to the east side of the Atlantic. “This shallow slope bathymetry increases the threat of storm surge,” he notes.
Historical hurricanes
There is no consensus on how many hurricanes have hit Florida in history.
According to a count by the Florida Climate Center, the most notable hurricanes that have affected the peninsula are more than 20 in the last century.
Florida’s three most powerful hurricanes, based on wind speed, were the Labor Day hurricane in September 1935 with winds of 297 km per hour, Hurricane Andrew in August 1992 with winds of 265 km/h and Hurricane Michael in October 2018 with winds of 257 km/h.
He Hurricane Charley It hit Cayo Costa, an island on the Gulf Coast of Florida, in August 2004 as a Category 4 hurricane, causing the death of at least nine people and damages worth $6.8 billion.
After 18 years, the Hurricane Ian In 2022, also category 4, it made landfall in the same place.
In recent history, the most powerful and most damaging hurricanes in Florida besides Charley and Ian were:
- Andrew: It made landfall in Homestead as a Category 5 in August 1992, with winds up to 165 mph. It was the most destructive to hit the state, causing $25 billion in damage at the time. At least 250,000 people were left homeless, 15 people died directly from the hurricane, and dozens more died from related causes.
- Irma: It hit Florida’s southern coast at Marco Island as a Category 4 hurricane in September 2017. It is remembered for its large size and slow movement, which compounded its destruction. At least seven people were killed directly by the storm and around 65,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed. Irma caused $50,000 in losses, making it the costliest hurricane to hit Florida.
- Mike: It made landfall in the Florida Panhandle region as a category 5 in October 2018. Its damage, particularly from Panama City Bach to Cape San Blas, was catastrophic with costs of US$25 billion. At least eight people died directly from the hurricane and another 43 indirect deaths were recorded.
Storm intensity
As we noted before, Florida is frequently in the path of storms. And these can be very powerful.
“Florida is in the subtropical zone of the Atlantic, where it can be hit by a hurricane originating in the Cape Verde Islands near Africa—historically the most intense—as well as one that forms in the western Caribbean Sea or the Gulf of Mexico.” , details BBC Mundo John MoralesHurricane Specialist Meteorologist for NBC TV-6 in Miami.
According to scientists, these storms have become even more powerful in recent years due to the climate change.
“The impact is greater now than it would have been without the climate change induced by man, as sea levels are higher,” Liz Bentley of the Royal Meteorological Society of the United Kingdom tells the BBC.
In addition to this, warmer air that retains more moisture is worsening flooding because more intense rain occurs.
For his part, Reinhard Schiemann of the National Center for Atmospheric Sciences in the United Kingdom says that there is a relationship between climate change and an increase in wind speedwhich also causes stronger storm surges.
At the same time, climate change also slows the speed at which hurricanes travel.
That is, “a particular area can be affected by all of these combined impacts of a storm for longer,” adds Schiemann.
*This note is an update of an article published in September 2022, when the state of Florida was hit by Hurricane Ian. Research: Analía Llorente.
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