<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://s.w-x.co/util/image/w/2017-2018-hur-landfalls_0.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273" srcset="https://s.w-x.co/util/image/w/2017-2018-hur-landfalls_0.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273 400w, https://s.w-x.co/util/image/w/2017-2018-hur-landfalls_0.jpg?v=ap&w=980&h=551 800w" > Harvey, Irma, Maria and Michael were all major hurricanes (Category 3 or stronger) at the point of their U.S. landfalls in 2017 and 2018.

At a Glance If Dorian makes landfall as a major hurricane, this will be the third straight year a Cat. 3 or stronger hurricane has made a U.S. landfall.

The last such major hurricane landfall streak in the U.S. was from 1959 to 1961, nearly 60 years ago.

Harvey, Irma and Maria were major hurricanes at landfall in 2017, followed by Category 5 Michael in 2018.

A major hurricane is Category 3 or stronger on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

As Hurricane Dorian tracks toward the southeastern United States over the upcoming Labor Day weekend, forecasters predict it will intensify into a major hurricane, one that is Category 3 or stronger on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale . If Dorian makes landfall at that strength, this will be the third straight year the U.S. has endured a landfalling major hurricane – a streak not accomplished in nearly 60 years .

After a 12-year lull in U.S. major hurricane landfalls (those with maximum sustained winds of at least 111 mph), Hurricane Harvey slammed into the central Texas coast on Aug. 25, 2017, near Rockport as a Category 4 with winds of 130 mph. Prior to Harvey, the most recent major hurricane landfall had been in 2005, when Hurricane Wilma made landfall in southwestern Florida.

Just when we were hoping to start another long streak of no major hurricanes, Irma made landfall a few weeks later, Sept. 10, 2017 in the Florida Keys. Irma was also a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 130 mph; It made another major hurricane landfall a few hours later in southwestern Florida with winds of 115 mph. Before arriving in Florida, Irma's eyewall also affected the U.S. Virgin Islands when it was a Category 5.

Little more than a week later, Hurricane Maria made a stunning third American Category 4 landfall in a single year on Sept. 20, 2017, on the southeastern shores of Puerto Rico with winds of 155 mph.

Maria was responsible for $93.6 billion in damage and an estimated 2,981 deaths in the U.S. It was the deadliest hurricane to strike the U.S. or its territories since the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 , which claimed at least 8,000 lives.

<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://s.w-x.co/util/image/w/harvey-irma-maria_0.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273" srcset="https://s.w-x.co/util/image/w/harvey-irma-maria_0.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273 400w, https://s.w-x.co/util/image/w/harvey-irma-maria_0.jpg?v=ap&w=980&h=551 800w" > Satellite imagery of Harvey, Irma and Maria at the point of their Category 4 landfalls in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico, respectively.

Hurricane Michael then added to the U.S.'s streak of major hurricane landfalls on Oct. 10, 2018, when it roared ashore along the Florida Panhandle as a Category 5 .

It was only the fourth Category 5 U.S. hurricane landfall on record, and the first since Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Hurricane Camille in 1969 along the Mississippi Gulf Coast and the Florida Keys Labor Day Hurricane in 1935 were the only other U.S. Category 5 landfalls on record.

Michael was the third-most-intense hurricane landfall in the U.S. based on minimum central pressure , topping extreme hurricanes such as Andrew and Katrina.

(MORE: America's Terrible Stretch of Hurricanes Since 2016)

Now, there's a high likelihood that Hurricane Dorian will continue this major hurricane landfall streak for a third straight year. That hasn't happened in the U.S. since 1959-61 – nearly 60 years ago. The latest forecast calls for Dorian to be a Category 3 or 4 hurricane as it bears down on Florida over Labor Day weekend.

<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://s.w-x.co/staticmaps/MAX_WEB_TROP_ATL5_swath_1280x720.jpg" srcset="https://s.w-x.co/staticmaps/MAX_WEB_TROP_ATL5_swath_1280x720.jpg 400w, https://s.w-x.co/staticmaps/MAX_WEB_TROP_ATL5_swath_1280x720.jpg 800w" > Projected Path (The red-shaded area denotes the potential path of the center of Dorian. It's important to note that impacts – heavy rain, high surf, coastal flooding and winds – with any tropical cyclone usually spread beyond its forecast path.)

America's most recent three-year major hurricane landfall streak began in 1959, when Hurricane Gracie made landfall on Sept. 29 over South Carolina's St. Helena Sound as a Category 4.

Hurricane Donna added to this streak on Sept. 10, 1960, when it made landfall in the Florida Keys as a Category 4. After paralleling the southwestern Florida coast, Donna then came ashore again south of Naples as a Category 3 hurricane.

On Sept. 11, 1961, Hurricane Carla was the third and final major hurricane landfall of this streak. It made landfall near Port O'Connor, Texas, as a Category 4 hurricane.

No hurricanes made a U.S. landfall in 1962.

A String of Category 4 Landfalls Could Get Extended As Well

If Dorian makes landfall as a Category 4, it will extend another streak: years with a Category 4 landfall on the Gulf or Atlantic coast, following Harvey and Irma in 2017 and Michael in 2018. As noted by Dr. Jeff Masters in the Category 6 blog, 2017-18 was the first time that three Category 4 or 5 storms had made landfall on the continental U.S. in any two-year span on record.

A total of 28 Category 4+ hurricanes have made a continental U.S. landfall since 1851.