As of late September, the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coasts havebeen spared a major strike the likes of Hurricanes Katrina andAndrew. But that's not to say it has been due to a lack ofactivity.

Last month, the National Hurricane Center reported thatHurricane Humberto, which made landfall near the Louisiana andTexas border on Sept. 13, 2007, formed just off the coast of Texasand intensified into a Category 1 storm in just 18 hours. That'sfaster than any other hurricane on record when its close proximityto the coast is taken into consideration. If it had formed in themiddle of the Gulf, it could have strengthened even more than itdid, and potentially causing property damage in an area stilltrying to recover from Hurricane Katrina.

“We are now in the peak of the hurricane season, and conditionsin the Gulf of Mexico are ripe for more activity,” said ClaireSouch, senior director of model management at Risk ManagementSolutions, in a release. “Attention so far has been on the openAtlantic because this is where Hurricanes Dean and Felix formed, aswell as the major storms of 2004 and 2005. Humberto demonstratesthat the Gulf of Mexico is a major breeding ground for hurricanesthat can materialize quickly.”