MACON, Ga. — Last year, it was Hurricane Michael.
The storm devastated the cotton crop and countless farmers across south Georgia.
Michael was also, according to the National Hurricane Center records, the first major hurricane to directly impact Georgia since the 1890s.
In 2017, just the year before, was Tropical Storm Irma.
Irma left hundreds of people in Central Georgia in the dark for days, and downed trees left roads impassible.
This all seems to be a normal routine in recent years, but was Georgia always this favorable to the tropics?
We, of course, have different phases that the tropics go through: El Niño and La Niña.
El Niño typically suppresses activity in the Atlantic, while La Niña tends to be a bit more active.
However, from 2005-2011, we only had one named storm threaten the Peach State -- Tammy in 2005.
When you look at the numbers from 2012-2018, it’s much more active.
Four tropical storms came through in 2016, mainly in south Georgia and along the coast, and Michael and Irma back-to-back, going directly through our area here in Central Georgia.
Of course, every year is different, and as we know, no two storms are alike.
But as we continue to monitor Dorian’s potential impact on Georgia, that only sparks more curiosity on Georgia's recent attraction to the tropics.
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