After more than 100 years, is 2026 the year that Tampa gets a direct hit from a hurricane? How about Miami, 34 years since Andrew hit? Or could it be southern New England's turn for the first time in decades?
While none of these questions can be answered now, experts say these three locations are all among the nation's most "overdue" locations for a direct hit from a hurricane.
AccuWeather forecasts have highlighted the unusual "hurricane hiatus" in those three locations, and research compiled by Michael Ferragamo, a freelance hurricane researcher and soon-to-be graduate of the University of Oklahoma, shows those locations haven't had a hurricane in an unusually long time.
"In all of these regions, populations have grown substantially since the last major impacts," AccuWeather hurricane expert Alex DaSilva told USA TODAY. "Many residents have never experienced a hurricane and may not be familiar with evacuation zones or proper preparation, which increases the risk."
In Florida, both Tampa and Miami are "very vulnerable," DaSilva said. "Both are low-lying and highly prone to storm surge flooding, and both have seen rapid development in recent decades. Tampa was very fortunate when Hurricane Milton passed just to the south. If that track had shifted slightly north, the impacts could have been catastrophic."
