ORLANDO, Fla. – Although the official start of the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season doesn’t begin until June 1, the official start to the daily tropical weather outlooks has begun.
The National Hurricane Center resumed its outlooks on Monday. These outlooks are released four times a day at 2 a.m., 8 a.m., 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. This is where they highlight and describe significant areas in the tropics where tropical development is possible.
They give two chances for development, one within two days, and another within the next five days.
But new in 2023, instead of looking five days out, NHC will be issuing outlooks as far out as seven days.
Even though nothing is brewing in the tropics, there are still many things Floridians can do to start the hurricane preparations for this season:
- Learn your zone: Are you in an evacuation zone or flood zone? At what point will you and your family need to evacuate. If so, where will you evacuate to?
- Review your insurance policies: Look over your insurance policies and understand what is and isn’t covered. Remember, flood insurance takes 30 days to take into effect, meaning you can’t wait until a storm is threatening to purchase a policy.
- Stock up on supplies: It could be a few cans at a time or a big grocery haul, but you should have a hurricane supply kit that covers the needs of your family for at least seven days. This includes food, prescriptions, water and batteries.
If you are looking to save some money with your hurricane supplies, this year you could have two opportunities to purchase many items on your hurricane checklist tax free.
The hurricane preparedness tax relief holiday runs from May 27 through June 9 and again toward the peak of hurricane season from Aug. 26 to Sept. 8.
For a full breakdown on what should be included in your hurricane supply kit, along with an interactive evacuation map, click here.
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