Hurricane prep and reference guides.

Everything you need to understand what's happening in the Atlantic this season, what it means for you, and what to do about it — before, during, and after a storm.

Understand the threat

• Safety
  What is storm surge — and why it kills more people than wind
  Storm surge is the wall of ocean water pushed ashore by a hurricane's circulation. It's responsible for more deaths than any other storm hazard. Here's how it works, how to know your risk, and why category alone doesn't tell the story.
• Reference
  Hurricane categories 1 through 5: what the Saffir-Simpson scale actually means
  Wind speed thresholds, typical damage, and what Category 1 through 5 means for a structure, a neighborhood, and a coastal community. Plus why category alone is an incomplete picture of storm danger.
• Reference
  How to read the NHC cone of uncertainty
  The cone does not show where the storm will go — it shows where the center could go. Here's what it actually means, why the most dangerous conditions are often outside the cone, and how to use NHC graphics correctly.
• Reference
  Atlantic hurricane season: when it peaks and what history tells us
  Season opens June 1. Peak runs August 20 through October 10. Climatological peak is September 10. Here's the full historical record of named storms, hurricanes, and major hurricanes by week — and what above-normal versus below-normal actually looks like.

Prepare your home

• Prep
  Hurricane prep checklist: what to do by season state
  Pre-season prep is different from active-storm prep. A timeline-based checklist organized by when you actually need to do each thing — shutters two weeks out, fuel three days out, kit one hour out.
• Prep
  Generator buying guide for hurricane season
  Portable vs. standby, wattage math, transfer switch requirements, safe operation rules, and which models actually hold up in the Gulf Coast market. Order before the season peaks — supply collapses during storm watches.
• Safety
  Evacuation planning: routes, timing, and what to bring
  How to find your evacuation zone, when to leave relative to storm landfall, which routes stay passable longest, and what documents and supplies to have staged. The time to plan this is June, not when a watch is posted.

Insurance and finances

• Insurance
  Flood insurance basics: NFIP, private coverage, and what your homeowner's policy doesn't cover
  Standard homeowner's policies don't cover flood damage. The NFIP has a 30-day waiting period. Here's how flood insurance works, what it covers, and when to consider private flood coverage for broader protection.

Historical context

• History
  The worst Atlantic hurricane seasons on record
  2005, 2020, 2017, 2004 — the most active and most destructive Atlantic seasons in the historical record, measured by named storms, major hurricanes, ACE, and US impact. Context for what "above normal" actually looks like.