If Hurricane Lull Ends, More People Would Be at Risk, Researchers Say

The nation’s coastal population has exploded in recent years during a period of fewer than normal hurricanes, meaning that millions could be in harm’s way should the number of storms rebound to historical levels. Researchers at Florida State University point to a downward trend in hurricanes striking coastal sections of the Gulf of Mexico.

The peak period was 1916-1925, when 14 hurricanes came ashore, including six severe ones, they reported in the July Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. By contrast, nine hurricanes, including four severe ones, made landfall in 1976-85, and eight, one severe, occurred in 1986-95. Researchers fear that global warming could increase the number of hurricanes striking the coast, which is now populated by 47 million people, but the Florida team said there is no evidence that an increase is occurring.

Compiled by Times medical writer Thomas H. Maugh II