ORLANDO, Fla. – It is the first day of hurricane season, and the News 6 Pinpoint Weather Team is here to help you get ready for whatever may come our way this season.

The best defense ahead of a storm is being prepared, and now is a great time to start checking some items of your list. Click here to see some items to make sure you don’t forget when building your hurricane kit. And now is a great time to stock up and save on supplies, since we are in the middle of the first of two disaster preparedness tax relief holidays.

Along with preparedness, awareness and staying informed is key to keeping you and your family safe. And News 6 has you covered with many ways to get information before, during and after a storm. Click here to sign up for your county alerts, and check out the newly updated News 6 Hurricane app.

The weather team will be hosting our annual hurricane special on Thursday night at 7 p.m. Here are all the ways you can watch. And don’t miss out on our Insider After Hours special right afterward! Click here to tune in.

New age of technology 🏠⛵

It’s no surprise that technology continues to evolve in almost every aspect of our lives. Meteorologist Candace Campos met with a CEO starting a first-of-its-kind building company in Kissimmee that uses a material like Styrofoam to build stronger and more resilient homes. Click here to hear more about her story and to learn how much more cost efficient and eco-friendly this type of building material is.

Along with stronger homes and structures, being able to better predict and forecast a landfalling hurricane is also key to surviving a storm. New technology being used by NOAA is taking sailboats into uncharted hurricane territory. Click here to see how it works, and to view actual footage these Saildrones have captured inside the eyewall of some monster storms.

Diving into the forecast cone ⚠️⏱️

As we gear up for another season, meteorologist Jonathan Kegges explains what the iconic forecast cone is and how you should focus on the entire cone — not just the center. Forecast cone goes out more than six days sometimes. Jonathan also explains how you should react in days leading up to a potential landfall. Click here for his full breakdown here.

A key example of the importance of understanding the cone was seen with Hurricane Nicole last year. See why the worst damage happened 150 miles from the storm’s center.

Forecasting Change with hurricanes 🌎🌡️

With our changing climate, some might wonder how a warmer planet plays into our future hurricane seasons. Chief meteorologist Tom Sorrells talked with other hurricane experts on how storms are now packing a bigger punch. Click here to hear their conversation.

Along with stronger storms, we are also starting to see wetter weather systems. Tom explains that wind is not the deadliest aspect of hurricanes. Click here to see what is.

Girl Scouts helping community prep for hurricane season 🤝

Meteorologist Samara Cokinos had the pleasure of working with Girl Scout Troop 2059 recently to spotlight how they are Getting Results for the community ahead of hurricane season.

These young leaders identified a need among their classmates. Last year, they saw a bunch of new classmates who had never experienced a hurricane and didn’t know the first thing about preparing for one. So, when they decided to work on their Bronze Award project, they decided to help new families to Florida with kids get prepared for the 2023 hurricane season. See how they accomplished this task that took them 5 months to complete by clicking here!

Turning the rain back on ☔

Hey Insiders! Meteorologist Troy Bridges here. As you probably know by now, an area of low pressure in the Gulf of Mexico (Invest 91L) is spreading moisture and energy in our direction.

Regardless of development, it will be a rain enhancer starting today and through the weekend. Computer models show this disturbance meandering in the Gulf for a few days with a gradual shift toward South Florida.

In South Florida more rain could be a factor that would lead to flooding.

If you’re making weekend plans, be weather aware. Click here for more on the increasing rain chances as we get closer to the weekend.