Helene Was America's Fourth Hurricane Landfall Of 2024. That Hasn't Happened Very Often

Hurricane Helene was the fourth hurricane to landfall in the mainland U.S. in 2024, an impressive number in a season that otherwise hadn't yet generated many storms.

H​elene slammed ashore along the Florida Gulf Coast with devastating storm surge, and both damaging winds and flooding rain.

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T​he previous three: It started with Category 1 Beryl, which slammed into the Texas coast in early July.

T​hat was followed by another Cat. 1 hurricane, Debby, which first came ashore in Florida's Big Bend region about a month later.

T​hen about another month later, Francine made a Cat. 2 landfall in southern Louisiana on Sept. 11.

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H​ow often so many: According to NOAA's Hurricane Research Division, only 13 other seasons since 1851 have had four or more hurricanes make a mainland U.S. landfall.

T​hat last happened in 2020, which had six hurricanes landfall on the mainland, including Hanna, Isaias, Laura, Sally, Delta and Zeta.

O​nly two other seasons had as many as six U.S. hurricane landfalls, 1985 and 1886.

A​nd other than 2020, only two other seasons this century had four or more. Both the 2004 and 2005 seasons had five U.S. hurricanes.

O​n average, one or two hurricanes make landfall in the U.S. each season. One each made landfall in 2022 and 2023, and both Ian and Idalia were destructive when each slammed into Florida.

Colorado State University tropical scientist Phil Klotzbach noted it's only the fifth time there have been four Gulf U.S. hurricanes to make landfall in one season.

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U​nlike last year, there is not a strong El Niño in place this season. While 2023's strong El Niño didn't reduce the number of storms, there was sinking air over the Caribbean Sea, often a breeding ground for hurricanes that do reach the U.S.

A​lso in 2023, the Bermuda high was weak and scrunched into the eastern Atlantic Ocean. So, most of the storms that did form curled north, then northeast out to sea, rather than threaten the U.S.

T​his year, without the El Niño, we've seen six of the storms form or track into the Caribbean Sea and/or Gulf of Mexico in an environment with less sinking air, low wind shear and, once again, record warm water.

July's early-season record smashing Hurricane Beryl was steered by a more expansive Bermuda high through the Caribbean Sea into the Gulf of Mexico, instead of recurving north as it may have done with a weaker Bermuda high if it happened in 2023.

A​n average pace, otherwise: As of the time this article was published on Sept. 26, there have been nine storms, five of which became hurricanes in the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season.

That's just over a week behind the average pace for nine storms (Sept. 16), but basically average for five hurricanes (Sept. 28), according to the National Hurricane Center.

W​hile stubborn sinking air and a northward deflection of the parade of disturbances known as tropical waves off Africa are a couple of reasons why this season's storm count hasn't been as high as expected, seasonal forecasters did expect more storms to threaten the U.S. this season.

But we're far from over. An average season will deliver another five storms, two of which become hurricanes before we're done.

A​nd with the majority of storm activity typically shifting westward in the Atlantic Basin as we head into October, it's not out of the question we could add to this U.S. hurricane tally before the season is over.

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Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. His lifelong love of meteorology began with a close encounter with a tornado as a child in Wisconsin. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on X (formerly Twitter), Threads, Facebook and Bluesky.