NU Online News Service, Sept. 15, 1:03 p.m. EDT

It has been 11 years since two Category 4 hurricanes were active on the same day.

In fact, according to modeler Risk Management Solutions (RMS), the last time was on Sept. 15 when hurricanes Floyd and Gert spun in the Atlantic at the same time.

Today RMS is tracking hurricanes Igor and Julia--both Category 4 storms. In the meantime, Tropical Storm Karl made landfall today over the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, said modeler AIR Worldwide.

KARL

Karl, which formed yesterday, is the eleventh-named storm of the 2010 hurricane season with sustained winds of 45 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

AIR said Karl hit north of Belize, where there are not a lot of insurance exposures.

The storm is not expected to dissipate after making landfall. Instead, Karl's track calls for re-entrance into the southern Gulf of Mexico before making another landfall near Tampico, Mexico, NHC said.

IGOR

Hurricane Igor is headed for Bermuda in the next four or five days. The storm is now a Category 4 but is expected to hit Bermuda as a Category 3, "although there is a high degree of uncertainty with this track forecast," RMS reported.

Igor currently has sustained winds of 155 mph, almost making it a Category 5 storm, the NHC said.

"Regardless of where Igor ends up in five days, the hurricane's large wind field is expected to be very close to Bermuda within the next three to four days," said Neena Saith, senior catastrophe response manager at RMS.

JULIA

Hurricane Julia currently posses no threat to land, as it is forecast to track parallel to Igor, about 800 miles to the east., RMS said. The storm has intensified rapidly within the last day and is currently a Category 4 storm with winds of 135 mph, the NHC said.

The strengthening of Julia was not previously predicted by the NHC or hurricane modelers. It is a "reminder of the limited understanding of tropical cyclone intensity change," RMS remarked.

ATLANTIC ACTIVITY

Eight tropical storms have developed since Aug. 22, RMS said. Four have developed into major hurricanes.

Reaching this level of activity has occurred earlier than on average, said RMS. Using storm data since 1950, the eleventh-named storm generally formed around Oct. 14, according to RMS.

Only two seasons--1995 and 2005--had more activity at this point in the hurricane season.

Special Reports /

Two Cat 4 Hurricanes Spin In Atlantic; 3rd Storm Hits Yucatan

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