Extratropical cyclones (ETCs) in the southern United States are often overlooked when compared with tropical cyclones in the region and ETCs in the northern United States. Although southern ETCs are significant weather events, there is currently not an operational scheme used for identifying and discussing these nameless storms. In this research, we classified 84 ETCs . We manually identified five distinct formation regions and seven unique ETC types using statistical classification. Statistical classification employed the use of principal components analysis and two methods of cluster analysis. Both manual and statistical storm types generally showed positive (negative) relationships with El Niño (La Niña). Manual storm types displayed precipitation swaths consistent with discrete storm tracks which further legitimizes the existence of multiple modes of southern ETCs. Statistical storm types also displayed unique precipitation intensity swaths, but these swaths were less indicative of track location. It is hoped that by classifying southern ETCs into types, that forecasters, hydrologists, and broadcast meteorologists might be able to better anticipate projected amounts of precipitation at their locations.

Coastal development, population, and hurricane activity are all projected to increase in the near future. Thus, the USA has a tropical cyclone problem that requires interdisciplinary solutions from physical and social scientists. In this article, we review topics that summarize the current state of hurricane hazards in the USA. A review of meteorological hurricane hazard literature is broken into sections discussing wind and water hazards associated with land‐falling tropical cyclones. This section is followed by a review of societal impact literature such as mortality and morbidity, hazard perception, communication, evacuation, and risk. Ideas are presented which introduce suggestions on how to possibly change processes and promote cross‐dialog that may alleviate both the physical and societal impacts of tropical cyclones in the USA.