Are You Ready for the 2016 Hurricane Season?

Today marks the first day of June, and you know what that means. It means that the 2016 hurricane season is now underway. There have already been two storms this year classified as either a tropical storm or a hurricane, if you aren’t already prepared for this year’s storms, there is no time to waste. Get your supplies and keep an eye on the weather, we’ll certainly see more tropical storms and possibly hurricanes before the season is over.

Hurricane Alex at Peak Intensity

This Season Started Early

Hurricane season officially starts on June 1, but the first hurricane of the 2016 hurricane season formed way back in January. Hurricane Alex was the first hurricane to form in January since 1938. Alex was followed by Tropical Storm Bonnie in late May over the Memorial Day weekend, making 2016 only the third season since 1951 to see two storms prior to the start of hurricane season. If this is any indication as to how the remaining 2016 hurricane season will play out, now is a great time to get prepared.

It’s Not Just High Winds You Need to Worry About

Everybody knows that the high-speed winds in a hurricane are a deadly threat. They can accelerate debris to great speeds, damaging property and endangering lives. But this is not the only threat to be concerned with in a hurricane. There is another serious threat to life and property that can occur during a hurricane, storm surges. Storm surges are caused when the rotating winds of a hurricane push large amounts of water towards the shore. These surges of water can cause immense damage, as water rises far higher than even the highest of high tides. The height of a storm surge is dependent on a number of factors, such as the slope of the shore and the direction of the hurricane’s movement. In some cases, storm surges could reach heights as high as 20 feet or more.

Are you prepared for the 2016 hurricane season? If not, be sure to check out our Learning to Prepare section for more great preparedness ideas.