Charley, Frances and Ivan. Three major hurricanes. Two assaults on Florida already and possibly a third soon. And scientists say Florida should get used to it.
They say the southeastern United States will see a period of enhanced hurricane activity that could last for decades, ending a 24-year period of below-average activity. They also say the law of averages has caught up with Florida, with a change in atmospheric currents turning the state into a hurricane magnet.
'People are suddenly alert, suddenly paying attention,' said Stanley Goldenberg, a meteorologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) hurricane research division on Virginia Key. 'They can see now that we are in an active era. People should realise that it is very unlikely that Frances is the last storm the US will see this year.'
When asked earlier this week if Florida can endure another hurricane, Governor Jeb Bush pointed to a button he wore on his shirt. It said: 'I survived damn near everything'. 'We will survive whatever comes at us,' he said.
'We're an incredibly resilient state. I'm not being defiant; I'm only suggesting we can meet this challenge.'
If Ivan hits the state, it will be the first time since 1964 that three hurricanes have smacked Florida in the same year. And September and October tend to be among the most active months of the six-month hurricane season that officially ends on November 30.