When it comes to hurricanes, Florida may as well have a target on its back.

Counting Irma, Florida has now sustained 117 direct hits by hurricanes in recorded history -- far more than any other US state, according to NOAA . That's almost twice as many major storms as have hit the runner-up, Texas.

Louisiana is third in hurricane landfalls, followed by North Carolina and South Carolina.

In fact, 40% of all US hurricanes strike Florida, NOAA says. (Hurricanes sometimes make landfall in multiple states, which is why that 40% figure may not seem to add up in the map above.)

Why Florida? Well, Atlantic hurricanes form over warm water in the tropics and typically move west-northwest with the prevailing winds. That often puts the southeastern US coast in their path, and Florida has the longest coastline -- some 1,350 miles -- of any state but Alaska. So it's a big target.

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