ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — It's that time of year when local officials start talking about the "countdown to hurricane season."
The effort to get resources together has begun.
Pinellas County recently opened a year-round sandbag site where neighbors can pick up pre-filled bags for free. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill bringing back two tax holidays on hurricane preparedness supplies. Before that, the governor also signed bills adding more funding for the My Safe Florida Home Program, which gives grants for home hardening.
The push to get people in the preparedness mode is heightened this year, too. Forecasters have predicted an especially active hurricane season, with the number of named storms, hurricanes and major hurricanes all falling above the average.
As you start to think about when's the best time to prepare, there's one deadline you should keep in mind: the official start of hurricane season.
When does hurricane season start?
Hurricane season for Florida is from June 1 to Nov. 30, with activity historically peaking around September.
The first Disaster Preparedness tax holiday will begin on the first day of hurricane season and last two weeks. From June 1-14, Floridians can get things like batteries, radios, generators, tarps and more without paying any sales tax. The second round of the Disaster Preparedness tax holiday runs from Aug. 24 to Sept. 6, just ahead of when Florida typically sees the most intense and severe storms.
Will this hurricane season be particularly active?
Researchers at Colorado State University (CSU) and AccuWeather have released their respective outlooks for hurricane season. Both consistently predict more storms than what is usually expected.
The CSU outlook falls within the scope of what AccuWeather also forecasts.
This year, meteorologists specializing in hurricane tracking have predicted somewhere between 20 and 25 storms in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico will be strong enough to be named. Of those strong storms, researchers believe eight to 12 of them will be hurricanes, with four to seven of them reaching "major" status.
To put that into perspective, 2023 was also an "above-normal" hurricane season, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. There were 20 named storms and seven hurricanes, with Hurricane Idalia being the only one that made landfall in the United States. Idalia was one of three major hurricanes recorded in 2023.
Hurricane Idalia made landfall in Florida's Big Bend region on Aug. 30, just over a week before what is considered the peak of hurricane season.
"Notice the peak of our season on average is not until September when we usually have the warmest water temperatures and lowest shear," 10 Tampa Bay meteorologist Mike Prangley said. "A developing La Niña or cooler than average waters in the Pacific likely will bring a very active peak season this year. This is another reason to make sure you have your emergency supplies and have a plan on what to do if you are evacuated."
What can I start doing to prepare?
As your Hurricane Headquarters, 10 Tampa Bay is committed to making sure you have all the information you need at your fingertips.
- To find your evacuation zone, click here.
- For more information on Pinellas County's sandbag site, click here.
- For more information on the hurricane preparedness tax holiday, click here.
- For more information on the My Safe Florida Home program, click here.
- The National Weather Service recently hosted its Hurricane Preparedness Week, tackling a specific topic daily to ensure all your bases are covered before a storm hits. For a recap along with the best tips from 10 Tampa Bay's weather team, click here.
10 Tampa Bay's meteorologists put together a list of Hurricane Hacks with everything you need to know, especially the little things that can easily get left behind in the chaos of a hurricane, like price gouging and keeping pets calm.