TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — There have been eight hurricanes that have made landfall along the U.S. Gulf Coast as major hurricanes in the last seven years.

“Lately storms have been getting stronger in the Gulf,” Max Defender 8 Chief Meteorologist Jeff Berardelli said. “They are rapidly intensifying, or at least intensifying right up until landfall, not weakening before landfall.”

Berardelli said decades ago, storms would weaken before they made landfall most of the time.

“We hope that this trend doesn’t continue, but inevitably, it probably is due to warming water temperatures because of climate change, although we’ll have to do more assessments on it,” Berardelli said. “But certainly the research says that in the future as waters warm, storms will become more intense.”

50% of those major hurricanes were “I”-named storms, which have been retired more than names with other letters (14 through the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season).

The following storms made landfall along the U.S. Gulf Coast as major hurricanes, with information from the National Weather Service and National Hurricane Center.

Hurricane Harvey (2017)

Flooded houses after Hurricane Harvey hit Rockport, Texas on August 26, 2017. (Photo by MARK RALSTON / AFP) (Photo by MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images)

Hurricane Harvey was named a tropical storm Aug. 17, 2017. On Aug. 19, it weakened back into a tropical wave. On Aug. 23, Harvey reformed again as a tropical depression. Due to weakening wind shear, Harvey rapidly intensified, eventually making landfall in Texas as a Category 4 hurricane.

After landfall, Harvey stalled over southeast Texas, bringing devastating amounts of rain and flooding to the region. Harvey re-entered the Gulf of Mexico and made another landfall in Louisiana.

Harvey has been retired from the list of future storm names.

Hurricane Irma (2017)

MARATHON, FL – SEPTEMBER 16: An American flag flies amid the destruction in the Sea Breeze trailer park in Plantation Key on September 16, 2017 in Marathon, Florida. Many places in the Keys still lack water, electricity or mobile phone service and residents are still not permitted to go further south than Islamorada. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has reported that 25-percent of all homes in the Florida Keys were destroyed and 65-percent sustained major damage when they took a direct hit from Hurricane Irma. (Photo by Angel Valentin/Getty Images)

Hurricane Irma formed Aug. 31, 2017 about 650 miles from the Cabo Verde Islands. Irma impacted the Leeward Islands as a Category 5 storm with 185 mph winds on Sept. 6, 2017. After moving near Cuba, Irma weakened to a Category 3 storm and then strengthened again into a Category 4 before making landfall at Cudjoe Key on Sept. 10.

It made another landfall a few hours later at Marco Island.

Irma has been retired from the list of future storm names.

Hurricane Michael (2018)

MEXICO BEACH, FL – OCTOBER 17: The aftermath of hurricane Michael is seen on October 17, 2018 in Mexico Beach, Florida. The hurricane hit on October 10th along the Florida Panhandle as a category 4 storm causing massive damage and claimed the lives of more then a dozen people. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Hurricane Michael made landfall Oct. 10, 2018, near Mexico Beach and Tyndall Air Force Base in the Florida Panhandle as a Category 5 hurricane. What started out as an October tropical system rapidly intensified once it entered the Gulf waters. The National Weather Service in Tallahassee issued its first ever extreme wind warning.

Michael remains one of the strongest hurricanes to ever hit the United States.

Michael has been retired from the list of future storm names.

Hurricane Laura (2020)

A large power line lies across a Chevron gas station following the passage of hurricane Laura in Lake Charles, Louisiana, on August 27, 2020. – Hurricane Laura tore off roofs and shredded buildings in the southern US state of Louisiana as it slammed into the coast early on August 27 killing at least one person, with shaken residents emerging to survey the damage. Forecasters warned of the continued risk of a storm surge as the hurricane — one of the strongest to ever hit the region — moved inland and weakened rapidly. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

Laura formed off the west coast of Africa on Aug. 16, 2020 and became a tropical depression on Aug. 19, 2020. It became Tropical Storm Laura on Aug. 21, 2020. On Aug. 26, Laura went from a Category 2 to a Category 4 hurricane in about 12 hours. Laura made landfall in Cameron, Louisiana, as a Category 4 storm.

Laura has been retired from the list of future storm names.

Hurricane Zeta (2020)

CHALMETTE, LA – OCTOBER 29: Property damage after Hurricane Zeta on October 29, 2020 in Chalmette, Louisiana. A record seven hurricanes have hit the gulf coast in 2020 bringing prolonged destruction to the area. (Photo by Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images)

Zeta formed as a disturbance Oct. 21, 2020, in the western Caribbean. It became a tropical storm Oct. 25, 2020. Zeta made a first landfall in the Yucatan Peninsula, then intensified in the Gulf, making another landfall in Cocodrie, Louisiana as a Category 3 hurricane.

Zeta was the 10th named storm to make landfall in the United States in the record-breaking 2020 hurricane season. It was also the fourth named storm to make landfall in Louisiana that year, a record for a single-season.

Zeta has not been retired from the list of future names, however, the World Meteorological Organization, which is responsible for the naming system, will no longer use the Greek alphabet for storms that form after the annual list of names has been exhausted, instead opting for another list of names in alphabetical order.

The decision was made after two of the Greek alphabet names were retired with no formal plan for retiring Greek names. It was also made for messaging purposes, as Zeta, Eta, and Theta all sound similar and occur in order. In the 2020 hurricane season, storms with similar-sounding names were happening at the same time, leading to issues with messaging, according to the WMO.

Hurricane Ida (2021)

GRAND ISLE, LA – SEPTEMBER 4: Storm-damaged houses after Hurricane Ida on September 4, 2021 in Grand Isle, Louisiana. Ida made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane six days before in Louisiana and brought flooding, wind damage and power outages along the Gulf Coast. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

Ida became a tropical storm on Aug. 23, 2021, and continued to strengthen into a hurricane before crossing Cuba on Aug. 27, 2021. Ida rapidly intensified over the Gulf and became a Category 4 hurricane on Aug. 29, 2021, and made landfall near Port Fourchon, Louisiana.

Ida has been retired from the list of future storm names.

Hurricane Ian (2022)

FORT MYERS BEACH, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 02: In this aerial view, destruction left in the wake of Hurricane Ian is shown on October 02, 2022 in Fort Myers Beach, Florida. Fort Myers Beach sustained severe damage by the Category 4 hurricane which caused extensive damage to the southwest portion of Florida. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Tropical Storm Ian formed Sept. 23, 2022 in the central Caribbean. Ian became a hurricane Sept. 26, 2022, and became a major hurricane before hitting Cuba. Ian then turned to the east and made landfall in southwest Florida as a Category 4 storm, bringing devastating storm surge to the Fort Myers area. Ian moved across the state of Florida and weakened to a tropical storm. It then restrengthened into a Category 1 hurricane before making another U.S. landfall south of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

While Ian made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 storm, the National Hurricane Center later said in its report about the storm that Ian did briefly reach Category 5 strength.

Ian has been retired from the list of future storm names.

Hurricane Idalia (2023)

TARPON SPRINGS, FLORIDA – AUGUST 30: (EDITOR’S NOTE: Alternate crop) In an aerial view, a fire is seen as flood waters inundate the downtown area after Hurricane Idalia passed offshore on August 30, 2023 in Tarpon Springs, Florida. Hurricane Idalia is hitting the Big Bend area of Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The most recent on the list, Idalia, originated near the Yucatan Peninsula. Once it moved away from Cuba, it rapidly intensified into a major hurricane. At one point ahead of landfall, Idalia reached Category 4 strength but weakened slightly to a Category 3 just before making landfall near Keaton Beach in the Big Bend area of Florida.