Since the turn of the century, major hurricanes hitting the U.S. have had one key feature in common. Location. The Gulf of Mexico coastline transformed into a bullseye for major storms, which have taken aim from Corpus Christi, Texas, to Marco Island and destroyed communities in their wake. Eighteen hurricanes reaching Category 3 strength or higher have made landfall along the continental U.S. since 1999. All but one slammed into the Gulf Coast. The pattern is even more stark since 2017: All 10 major hurricanes that have made landfall in the U.S. struck communities along the gulf — including six in Florida. Milton and Helene, occurring not even two weeks apart , are the latest in the streak that’s left Floridians collectively wondering why. Hurricane experts say storms are growing more intense — and more quickly — largely because of warming seas. Tropical cyclones transform heat from the ocean surface into the movement of winds, so warmer waters allow storms to spin faster. The Tampa Bay Times reviewed nearly 600 storm tracks and corresponding sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean basin over the last four decades. Reporters relied on methods used by hurricane researchers to compare storms that underwent rapid intensification — which occurs when maximum wind speeds increase by 35 mph in a day — to ones that didn’t. The analysis showed that warmer ocean temperatures increase the chances of stronger storms developing by 50%. Most tropical cyclones that have rapidly intensified over the past 40 years have encountered abnormally warm water , the Times found. In the gulf, that phenomenon means hurricanes can easily become supercharged. “Anything that gets loose in the gulf is going to basically have double the damage potential it used to, compared to 100 years ago,” said Jeff Masters, a hurricane scientist […]