Quiet Season Helps Florida Reach Record, 10 Years Without a Major Hurricane

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While the typical Atlantic hurricane season features 11 named storms and six hurricanes, this year’s quiet season helped the state of Florida mark a big milestone – 10 years without a major hurricane making landfall in the state.

The Miami Herald reports that the hurricane-free streak is a new record for the state.

The 2015 Atlantic Hurricane Season started on June 1st and officially ended on November 30. Of the 11 named storms this year, there were four hurricanes, according to the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI). Only two of the hurricanes were considered major, but all of the storms brought intense rains, causing significant flooding in South Carolina, Texas and Oklahoma.

Tropical Storm Ana kicked off the season early, bringing rains and winds to South Carolina in early May. A month later, Tropical Storm Bill caused extensive rains in Texas and Oklahoma resulting in nearly $58 million in insured losses according to Verisk Analytics. For the second year in a row, Hawaii was subject to several storms, bringing significant rainfall to the islands.

In October more rains caused record-breaking flooding in South Carolina, which was followed by more moisture from Hurricane Joaquin. PCI reported that according to Aon Benfield Group Ltd., the October rains resulted in $350 million in insured losses so far and an additional $100 million in insured losses through the National Flood Insurance Program and U.S. Department of Agriculture Risk Management Agency.

Experts say Floridians shouldn’t count on the streak continuing. Michael Brennan of the National Hurricane Center has been exceptionally lucky and that residents should always be prepared for the possibility of a storm hitting the state.

Chris Hackett, PCI’s director of personal lines policy, says that many communities throughout the nation still face the potential of major flooding.

“It is important to remember that even tropical storms can cause widespread damage and flooding, having a crushing effect on families if they don’t have the right insurance coverage,” says Hackett. “While some forecasters point to El Nino as the cause for a quiet hurricane season, it could likewise bring more rain in the west and southeast, causing more flooding in areas that are still in the recovery process.”