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Florida is Nearing 10 Years With No Hurricanes

With all eyes on Erika in the Atlantic, the natural question is whether it will end Florida's nearly 10-year-long streak with no hurricane landfalls.

(FORECAST: Where is Erika Headed?)

The last hurricane to make landfall in Florida was Wilma on Oct. 24, 2005. Wilma capped off a barrage of hurricanes that battered the state during the 2004 and 2005 seasons. Florida's current hurricane-free streak dwarfs the previous record dating to 1851, which was five consecutive seasons from 1980 to 1984.

After causing severe damage to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, Wilma made landfall just south of Naples, Florida, as a Category 3 hurricane, producing widespread wind damage in South Florida. Wilma was the strongest Atlantic hurricane on record, by central pressure, bottoming out at 882 millibars in the western Caribbean Sea. (Image: NOAA) — Hurricane Wilma (2005)
Wilma made landfall just south of Naples, Florida, as a Category 3 hurricane, producing widespread wind damage in southern Florida.
(NOAA)

This almost 10-year period-without a hurricane in Florida is rather remarkable given the state has 1,260 miles of coastline, the longest of any state along the Gulf of Mexico or the Atlantic. According to the National Hurricane Center, 40 percent of the landfalling U.S. hurricanes from 1851 to 2010 have impacted the Florida coast. That's a total of 114 hurricanes in about 160 years.

(MORE: What America Was Like During the Last Florida Hurricane)

Such long gaps in hurricane activity like the one we are seeing can lead to complacency. This probably explains why most Floridians say they're not worried about the prospect of a hurricane making a direct impact on their state, according to the results of a poll released in July.

One in three say they don't plan to evacuate if a Category 1 storm is coming their way, according to the the latest Mason-Dixon Florida Poll, which surveyed about 800 adults living in Florida by phone between July 20 and July 24. The poll also found that 60 percent of the state's residents said they was either "not too likely" or "not likely at all" that a hurricane would make landfall in Florida this year.

(MORE: Poll Reveals Most Florida Residents Are Unconcerned)

Prior to this long period with no hurricanes in Florida, Charley, Frances, Jeanne and Ivan pounded the state in 2004. This was followed by Dennis, Katrina and Wilma in the historic 2005 hurricane season. Rita passed south of the Florida Keys that year, but did produce significant storm surge flooding in Key West.

(MORE: Katrina 10 Years Later)

Wilma was also the last major hurricane (Category 3 or stronger on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale) to make landfall in the United States. According to Dr. Phil Klotzbach of Colorado State University and blogger for wunderground.com, this year's Hurricane Danny was the 26th straight Atlantic major hurricane to not impact the United States. The odds of that happening are about 1 in 7,400 based on the 1900-2000 rate of 29 percent of all major hurricanes impacting U.S., Klotzbach said.

(MORE: Dr. Klotzbach's Blog)

No Hurricanes But Significant Tropical Storm Impacts Since 2005

Eight tropical storms have made landfall in Florida from 2006-2014.

While hurricanes draw more attention, it should also be noted that tropical storms can also have significant impacts.

Florida has seen eight tropical storm landfalls since 2006. Another tropical storm, Barry in 2007, approached the Tampa area as a tropical storm but officially made landfall as a tropical depression.

In June 2012, Tropical Storm Debby and Tropical Storm Beryl brought heavy rainfall and caused significant flooding in northern Florida. Debby also spawned 18 tornadoes. Several years earlier in 2008, Tropical Storm Fay moved very slowly across Florida and caused significant flooding in parts of the state.

Most recently, Tropical Storm Andrea made landfall near Steinhatchee, Florida, in early June 2013.