JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It’s been an active 2022 hurricane season in Florida, with both Ian and Nicole slamming the state.
And there is a strange similarity between the 2022 and 2004 seasons.
Hurricanes Charley and Jeanne also hit the state near the same landfall points as Ian and Nicole — and exactly in the same timeframe.
The 2004 season
The 2004 hurricane season was an active season.
Fifteen named storms developed, with nine hurricanes and six major hurricanes.
The season was exceptionally active for Florida. Four hurricanes impacted the state, including Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne.
Two hurricanes struck southern sections of the state in fairly quick succession.
Charley made landfall in Southwest Florida on Aug. 13, producing significant damage in northern Lee and Charlotte counties.
Forty-three days later, Hurricane Jeanne made landfall on the opposite coast.
Jeanne pushed ashore along the Treasure Coast on Sept. 26, creating significant issues along the Treasure Coast and Central Florida.
The 2022 season
This year, Hurricane Ian slammed Southwest Florida on Sept. 28, producing widespread damage and significant storm surge in Lee and Charlotte counties. The landfall point was within a few miles of Charley’s.
Forty-three days later, just like Charley and Jeanne, Nicole made its landfall.
And just like Jeanne, Nicole made landfall along the Treasure Coast. The main impacts once again were along the Treasure Coast and Central Florida.
Is there a reason?
While it is downright eerie that two hurricanes would hit two sides of the state exactly 43 days apart, it is simply just a coincidence.
Florida is the most hurricane-prone state in the country, and the state has more coastline than any other state outside Alaska.
This makes the Sunshine State the best candidate for such an odd coincidence.
And the four hurricanes aren’t exactly the same.
Charley was a very small hurricane that mainly impacted a corridor near the core of the system. Ian was much larger and impacted much of the Florida peninsula.
Jeanne was a large hurricane that impacted much of the east coast of the state. Nicole was a massive large hurricane that started as a subtropical storm and had a wind field that swallowed almost the entire state.
The Atlantic hurricane season concludes on Nov. 30.