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Gulf of Mexico Hurricane Drought was the Longest in 130 Years

At a Glance

Hurricane Hermine put an end to the 1,080-day hurricane drought on September 1, 2016.
Before Hermine, the Gulf of Mexico had not had a single hurricane enter or develop in its waters since September 2013.
That streak eclipsed the longest drought on record, dating to 1886.

Hurricane Hermine put an end to the Gulf of Mexico hurricane drought on Sept. 1, 2016, when it strengthened into a hurricane at 1:55 p.m. CDT in the Gulf of Mexico, just over 100 miles south-southwest of Apalachicola, Florida.

Prior to Hermine, no hurricanes had entered or developed in the Gulf of Mexico since September 2013, a stretch of 1,080 days. This streak is now the longest on record, dating to the late 1800s.

Hurricane Ingrid, which made landfall in northeast Mexico in September 2013, was the last hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico before Hermine.

Hurricane Ingrid on September 15, 2013
(Terra/MODIS/NASA)

**Longest Stretches Without a Gulf of Mexico Hurricane since 1886**(Source: Weather Channel hurricane specialist Michael Lowry)
Start, End Dates	Days Without a Hurricane
9/17/2013 - 8/31/2016	1,080
10/1/1929 - 8/13/1932	1,047
10/16/1989 - 8/24/1992	1,043

There had been numerous tropical storms that made landfall along the Gulf Coast since Ingrid in 2013, including tropical storms Colin and Danielle from 2016 and Bill in 2015, to name a few.

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Note that the Gulf of Mexico was delimited as 22 to 31 degrees north, and Danielle would not have been included in the above streaks if it had become a hurricane. The Bay of Campeche was not included as part of the Gulf of Mexico.

Tropical storms in the Gulf of Mexico since the last Gulf Hurricane, Ingrid in 2013.

It was only eight years ago that Gulf Coast residents were praying for a drought like the one that just ended.

Tracks of 12 hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico (north of 22 degrees north latitude) from the 2004 through 2008 hurricane seasons.

Starting with Category 4 Hurricane Charley in August 2004, and punctuated by Hurricane Ike in September 2008, 12 hurricanes ravaged the Gulf of Mexico in that stretch of five hurricane seasons.

This terrible string included five of the top eight costliest hurricanes in U.S. history.

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