ORLANDO, Fla. – The first tropical wave of the season emerged Monday morning off the coast of Africa.
The National Hurricane Center’s Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch tweeted about it, saying about 60 waves, on average, are generated over North Africa each year.
[RELATED: Full list of 2023 storm names]
As of now, no tropical development is expected in the next seven days over the Atlantic.
The wave emerged on the same day that the National Hurricane Center resumed its daily outlooks, which are released four times a day at 2 a.m., 8 a.m., 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. The updates 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.
Hurricane season officially runs from June 1 through the end of November.
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5/15: The first tropical wave of the season emerged from the coast of Africa this morning . On average, about 60 waves are generated over North Africa each year. pic.twitter.com/adUB32T1iJ
— NHC_TAFB (@NHC_TAFB) May 15, 2023
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.
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.