Major hurricanes are hitting the Southeast. Why doesn’t Delaware see hurricanes?

The Southeast portion of the United States is reeling from a powerful hurricane season.

Despite all the storms, Delaware has gotten off relatively easy. Tropical Storm Debby went through Pennsylvania and Delaware felt part of it, but there hasn’t been a direct hit.

Why doesn’t Delaware get hit by major hurricanes?

While storms like Debby or Superstorm Sandy have impacted Delaware, it’s unusual for Delaware to get hit. The reason is the Atlantic Ocean temperatures.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, for a tropical cyclone to spawn you need water temperatures of at least 80 degrees.

According to the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, New Jersey, the waters off the Delaware coast peak in the upper 70s and may hit 80 degrees by late August or Early September.

The water temperature Monday at Fenwick Beach along the Delaware-Maryland border is 72 degrees. The temperature at Rehoboth Beach, Dewey Beach and Bethany Beach is 71 degrees.

Live Updates: Milton strengthens again, now a Cat 4 hurricane aiming at Florida

When does hurricane season end?

The Atlantic hurricane season ends Nov. 30. However, the peak months for hurricanes run from August through late September.

Big storms can happen in October

Using the storm names that have been retired since 1953 as a proxy for landfalling storms that had a great impact, September has the most retired names, with 43, Brian McNoldy, a hurricane research scientist at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School, told USA TODAY. August and October are essentially tied at 21 and 20, and only seven storm names have been retired from November storms.  

However, it’s also worth noting that October and November together have more retired storm names than June, July and August combined, he said. “So we must absolutely still be on alert for tropical cyclone threats in the remainder of hurricane season.” 

Doyle Rice and Dinah Voyles Pulver contributed to this story.