Hurricane Season Officially Arrives This Week

Forecasters are predicting a close to normal hurricane season, which officially kicks off Saturday, June 1, in the United States.

The NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center and Colorado State University’s hurricane team are both estimating the season will be about average. NOAA predicts a range of 9 to 15 named storms, with four to eight hurricanes and two to four major hurricanes (with winds of 111 mph or higher).

Meanwhile, Colorado State predicted in its April forecast that 2019 would have 13 named storms, with five hurricanes and two major hurricanes. It will release its updated forecast June 4. The season usually lasts through Nov. 30.

As we look ahead, it’s never a bad idea to prepare for a storm. Here are our tips to make sure you are ready. We can also look back at lessons learned from previous hurricanes:

• Hurricane Harvey made landfall as a Category 4 in August 2017. Take a look at its rainfall effects on Texas.
• Following Hurricane Harvey, the Texas Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers released a report on recommendations to improve flood management practices in Texas. Read their findings here.
• Also after Hurricane Harvey, a Texas House of Representatives committee made recommendations on state flood protection planning. See their primary recommendations from their report.
• Hurricane Florence hit the Carolinas in September 2018. Read our stormwater team’s lessons learned from Hurricane Florence.