Is there a reason that all of the recent hurricanes hitting North America have been in the gulf area?

Question

Until the last couple of years many-to-most of them moved up the east coast.

Answer 1

Most hurricanes on this side of the globe do enter the gulf at some time.  There is no telling what path the hurricane will take, of course the experts try to read the signs and make an educated guess of what the path will be 9 times out of 10  that path includes the gulf.   Following the water, the storm gains speed, maybe it is like everything else in nature, it is the storms  survival tactic.    

Answer 2

Hurricanes usually follow warm water also high pressure keeps them from going up the coast.

Answer 3

That's wear the ocean is.

Answer 4

Actually there is something to that. Many meteorologist speculate that weather patterns cause this to happen every 100 years or so. in 1900 there was a hurricane that destroyed (literally destroyed) Galveston Texas. And there were others around 1800 and 1700.

Basically what happens is that Hurricanes will for in the Atlantic and follow the jet stream from Africa to the Florida keys. It's around the edge of the keys when storms will either shift north threw Florida or slam past the keys and into the gulf.

The storms that hit the gulf are no worse then the one's that hit Florida, it's just that typically Florida is better prepared for the storms, averaging at least one a year, and have building codes and disaster response that reflect that.

Answer 5

That's where Hurricanes always form.  Sure sometimes they will get some on the west coast, but not nearly as often as the Gulf coast.  It's because the air over the Gulf is so warm.  

Answer 6

That's where they usually end up. I think it has to do with ocean currents and wind.