The 2026 Atlantic hurricane season is fast approaching – and state and federal officials stress now is the time to prepare.
The primary purpose of National Hurricane Preparedness Week is simply that – to make sure you have a plan in place before the season gets underway.
“And we really want you to take the time now to find out if you live in an evacuation zone," says Dan Brown, the branch chief for the Hurricane Specialist Unit at the National Hurricane Center. "To find out where you would ride out a storm and then also, start thinking about what supplies and things you can do to make your house stronger and your family just ready this hurricane season.”
Coastal areas get a lot of attention when it comes to tropical systems, and it is vital for folks living along the coast to know if they are in an evacuation zone. But inland communities should also take notice, with the recent memory of 2024’s Hurricane Helene a prime example of the potential impact in mountainous areas.
“Only about 10% of the fatalities are actually from wind. But about 90% are from water. That can either be from storm surge or that inland flooding.”
Brown adds that there have been more deaths from inland flooding events connected to tropical systems in the last decade or so than ever before.
A good plan includes where you and your loved ones would go in the event that you need to leave, but it’s also a good idea to have non-perishable food, water, medicine and other supplies on hand.
NOAA will release its first, seasonal forecast later this month. Last month, officials at Colorado State University predicted that 2026 will be slightly below average, with 13 named storms, six hurricanes and two major hurricanes. Brown stresses that it only takes one significant, land falling storm to have major impacts, however, so it's always vital to have a proper plan in place regardless of what the projections might say.
The Atlantic hurricane season begins on June 1st and continues through the end of November.
