ORLANDO, Fl. – In the past six years, four major hurricanes have made landfall somewhere in Florida and Hurricane Helene is poised to become the fifth.
Recently, storms in the Gulf have been getting stronger and often intensify right up until they reach land instead of weakening beforehand.
This trend may continue if sea surface temperatures remain above average during hurricane season.
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Tropical systems grow in size and intensity when sea surface temperatures are at or above 79°F and clearly in the Gulf of Mexico temperatures have exceeded that.
Other factors that help tropical systems grow include weak wind shear and plenty of moist air.
In the past six years, three-quarters of major hurricanes starting with “I” have been retired more often than those with other letters.