00:56 8 Hurricane Kit Must-Haves Here are eight essential items to have ready to go in case a hurricane hits.

At a Glance Julia is in a rare category of tropical cyclones that formed over land.

Only 2 percent of tropical cyclones have formed over land in the Atlantic Basin (1851-2015)

Julia continues to meander off the Southeast Coast, but its historical significance is also to be noted. According to Dr. Phil Klotzbach , Julia is the first tropical storm to get named while over land in Florida.

Because tropical cyclones need warm water to survive, the chances of tropical cyclone formation happening over dry land are slim. Only 2 percent of all Atlantic tropical cyclones have formed over land (1851-2015), according to Michael Lowry, hurricane specialist with The Weather Channel .

(MORE: Hurricane Central | Current Radar )

<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://s.w-x.co/images/maps/truvu/map_specnewsdct-36_ltst_4namus_enus_160x90.jpg" srcset="https://s.w-x.co/images/maps/truvu/map_specnewsdct-36_ltst_4namus_enus_160x90.jpg 400w, https://s.w-x.co/images/maps/truvu/map_specnewsdct-36_ltst_4namus_enus_160x90.jpg 800w" > Julia Historical Track

Here are some other tropical or subtropical cyclones from the past that have also formed over land:

In 2000, Leslie formed as subtropical depression near DeLand, Florida.

In 1988, Beryl formed on the northern brim of Lake Pontchartrain over land in Louisiana and strengthened closer to the Gulf of Mexico.

In 1977, Clara formed near Charleston, South Carolina, over land.

In 1978, Amelia formed just east of Brownsville, Texas, while in the Gulf of Mexico, but intensified as it moved inland in southern Texas near the coast.

Many tropical cyclones have formed close to land, but at the time of formation their centers were located offshore by mere miles. Because of Florida's long coastline and deep nose into the tropics, more than a dozen tropical depressions or storms have formed near the coast with impacts to Florida.

(MORE: Mid-Hurricane Season Report Card )

This happens globally, especially in marshy and low-lying areas. As in Julia's case, although the center was over land, roughly half of the system can still feed in moisture from the ocean.

MORE FROM WEATHER.COM: Tropical Storm Colin