As the Atlantic hurricane season enters its final month, the basin can still produce activity capable of threatening Florida.
According to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, only around a dozen tropical storms and hurricanes have impacted the state during the month of November over the course of 175 years - equating to a direct strike about once out of every 15 years.
The last hurricane to make landfall in Florida during November was Hurricane Nicole in 2022, but the cyclone does not hold the record for the latest landfalling hurricane.
That distinction belongs to Hurricane Kate, which struck near Mexico Beach in the Florida Panhandle on Nov. 21, 1985.
Kate was a Category 2 hurricane when it made landfall, but it had reached the strength of a major Category 3 while over the Gulf.
An increase in wind shear, along with cooler water temperatures, helped weaken the cyclone as it approached land.
Such hostile conditions are relatively common during late-season strikes, leading to generally weaker cyclones.
There has never been a major hurricane strike on the continental United States during November, as conditions become too hostile for tropical cyclone organization.
This does not mean late-season storms cannot cause significant damage and become billion-dollar disasters.
NOAA estimated that Hurricane Nicole caused at least $1 billion in damage after affecting Puerto Rico, the Bahamas and the southeastern United States.
Besides Nicole and Kate, the only other known hurricane to make landfall in Florida during November was the 1935 Yankee Hurricane, which struck the Miami area on Nov. 4, 1935.
The cyclone was dubbed the "Yankee Hurricane" because it developed near Bermuda before taking the unusual path south and southwest toward Florida.
Its path resembled that of residents from northern states who migrate south to the Sunshine State for the winter months.
Similar to Kate, the Yankee Hurricane was a Category 2 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale at landfall.
Other notable late-season hurricanes include the 1921 Tampa Bay Hurricane and Hurricane Wilma in 2005.
Both occurred during the final weeks of October, when warmer water temperatures and more favorable atmospheric conditions allowed the hurricanes to maintain Category 3 status before landfall.
Still, both hurricanes were considerably stronger while over the open waters of the southern Gulf and the Caribbean.
In fact, Wilma became the strongest hurricane on record in the Atlantic basin at the time, based on its minimum central pressure.
Wilma's pressure was estimated to have dropped to 882 millibars, with maximum sustained winds reaching at least 185 mph while off Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.
Beyond November, there have been no reported hurricane strikes anywhere along the continental U.S., as the basin generally becomes even less favorable for tropical cyclones.
But cooler waters have not stopped rare offseason tropical storms from organizing and providing a reminder that cyclones can develop in some limited capacity year-round.
