How Long It Takes Tropics To Reach The US

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Hurricanes and tropical storms can be a marathon or a sprint when it comes to how many days they track before hitting the United States.

A storm's journey can last a few days to a week or more. The map below shows the average number of days it takes for a tropical cyclone (tropical depression, storm or hurricane) to reach the United States based on its current position in the Atlantic, according to research by Dr. Robert Hart at Florida State University.

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That can range from more than 10 days for a system getting its start near Africa to a matter of a few days for one located closer to the United States. Of course, the steering currents in place for a particular storm can make the journey to the U.S. faster or slower than average.

Another important note is that not all tropical cyclones that move through the shaded areas below will eventually impact the U.S.

H​urricane Michael was an extreme example of a powerful hurricane striking days after it formed. The tropical depression that would eventually become Category 5 Michael formed just off of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula in the northwest Caribbean early in the morning on Oct. 7, 2018. From that location, the average time it takes to reach the United States is about 2 to 4 days.

M​ichael made landfall about three and half days later on Oct. 10, 2018, at Mexico Beach, Florida, packing maximum sustained winds of 160 mph.

(​MORE: Michael Was Among The Five Most Intense US Hurricanes)

H​urricane Hugo in 1989 took two weeks to reach the United States. While it's much less common for systems forming near Africa to make the long journey to the continental U.S., it does occasionally happen.

Hurricane Hugo was born as a tropical depression on Sept. 10, 1989, just off the coast of western Africa. It made a long journey west-northwest and struck South Carolina as a Category 4 nearly two weeks later on Sept. 22, 1989.

A more recent example is Florence in 2018, which took nearly two weeks to track from near Africa to its landfall in eastern North Carolina.

B​oth of those hurricanes got their start in the general area where it takes an average of 12 or more days to reach the United States.

Chris Dolce has been a senior meteorologist with weather.com for over 10 years after beginning his career with The Weather Channel in the early 2000s.