The Record Latest U.S. Hurricane and Major Hurricane Landfalls

Jonathan Belles
Published: October 20,2016

By late October and November, nearing the end of the Atlantic hurricane season, you might wonder if it is safe to assume there will be no hurricanes coming ashore in the U.S.
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Looking back at history, the answer is "not necessarily."
Here are the three hurricanes that blasted their way ashore in November.

1. Hurricane Eight, 1861

• Existed Nov. 1-3, 1861.
• Maximum sustained winds at landfall: 80 mph.
• Point of landfall: Near present day Surf City, North Carolina.
• Also known as the "Expedition" hurricane because it caused havoc on a Civil War fleet of warships, sinking two (according to Ludlum 1963).

2. Hurricane Seven, 1935

• Existed Oct. 30 through Nov. 8, 1935.
• Maximum sustained winds at landfall: 100 mph.
• Point of landfall: Near Miami, Florida.
• Also known as the "Yankee" hurricane.

3. Hurricane Kate, 1985

• Existed Nov. 15-23, 1985.
• Maximum sustained winds at landfall: 100 mph.
• Point of landfall: Near Mexico Beach, Florida (Florida Panhandle).
• Five people died and widespread power outages were reported across the Florida Panhandle.
• Kate is the latest hurricane to make landfall in the United States.

Hurricane Kate in the Gulf of Mexico.

The two latest Category 3 or stronger U.S. hurricane landfalls are:

1. The 1921 Tampa Bay Hurricane

• Existed Oct. 20-30, 1921.
• Maximum sustained winds at landfall: 120 mph.
• Point of landfall: Tarpon Springs, Florida (West-Central Florida).

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2. Hurricane Wilma, 2005

• Existed Oct. 16-27, 2005.
• Maximum sustained winds at landfall: 120 mph.
• Point of landfall: Near Cape Romano, Florida (Southwest Florida).

Hurricane Wilma turning toward Florida.

The Atlantic Basin hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30.
Note that some of these systems reflect information post-reanalysis from the Hurricane Research Division at NOAA.

MORE: Late-Season Hurricanes