The Hurricane Season Calendar: What to Do Each Month

Almost everything that goes wrong in hurricane preparedness comes from compressing it into the 72 hours before landfall, when the stores are empty, the contractors are booked, and the insurance binding window has closed. Spread across the calendar, the same work is cheap and easy. Here is a workable annual schedule for the Atlantic basin, where the season officially runs from June 1 to November 30.

January-February: paperwork season

Nothing is happening in the tropics, which makes this the ideal time for the tasks that require phone calls and patience.

• Review your homeowners policy in detail: hurricane deductible in dollars, replacement cost vs actual cash value on the roof, ordinance and law coverage, contents sub-limits, and additional living expense limits.
• Buy or renew flood insurance. Remember the standard 30-day waiting period — a policy bought in August protects nothing in August.
• Do the video inventory of the house, inside and out, and store it in the cloud.
• Assemble or refresh the waterproof document folder.

March-April: the structural work

Contractors have availability now and prices are lower than they will be in June.

• Have the roof inspected. Loose or aged shingles are the most common source of major storm damage.
• Assess opening protection: shutters, impact windows, or pre-cut labeled plywood with real fasteners.
• Brace or replace the garage door — the largest and most vulnerable opening on most houses.
• Trim trees. Remove dead limbs and anything overhanging the roof or power lines. Arborists book solid once a storm is named.
• Clean gutters and downspouts, and check that drainage moves water away from the foundation.
• Check for mitigation grant programs in your state; several fund a substantial share of this work.

May: supplies and systems

The month before the season starts. Many states hold sales-tax holidays on preparedness supplies in May, which is a real discount on the expensive items.

• Build or refresh the kit: water, shelf-stable food, batteries, first aid, flashlights, a hand-crank or battery NOAA weather radio, manual can opener, and cash in small bills.
• Service the generator: oil, filter, spark plug, fuel stabilizer, and a 20-minute run under load. Buy the extension cords now.
• Test every smoke and carbon monoxide alarm and replace batteries.
• Confirm your evacuation zone, which can change year to year, and identify your destination.
• Register with your county's special needs registry if anyone in the household qualifies.
• Refill and rotate prescriptions toward a two-week buffer.
• Run a family drill: safe room, evacuation route, and the out-of-state contact number.

June-July: early season watch

Activity is usually modest but not absent, and early-season systems tend to form close to land, which means less warning time.

• Enable wireless emergency alerts on every phone and follow your county emergency management account.
• Keep vehicles above half a tank throughout the season.
• Rotate stored water and check food expiration dates.
• Photograph the property again if you have done any exterior work.

August-October: peak

Activity climbs sharply through August, peaks around September 10, and stays elevated into October. This is when systems have the most open warm water to cross and the greatest opportunity to intensify.

• Check the National Hurricane Center's tropical weather outlook daily, not social media reposts.
• Keep the kit fully stocked and accessible rather than buried in the garage.
• Have shutter hardware, panels, and tools staged where you can reach them.
• Re-confirm your evacuation lodging plan and pet arrangements.
• When a system enters the forecast cone: fuel up, get cash, refill prescriptions, charge everything, do laundry, and secure the yard — before the crowds.

November: wind down carefully

Late-season storms are less common but not rare, and they can form close to the coast. Do not dismantle the kit until the season ends.

• Use up and rotate pantry stock.
• Drain or stabilize generator fuel for storage, and run the unit one last time.
• Write down what did not work this year while it is fresh.

December: reset

Replace anything used or expired, re-store the kit, and set calendar reminders for the January insurance review and the March contractor work. A ten-minute planning session in December removes most of the panic from next September.

The habits that matter year-round

• Keep a NOAA weather radio with battery backup — it works when cell networks are saturated.
• Keep an out-of-area contact everyone in the family can reach, since long-distance calls often connect when local ones do not.
• Maintain a printed contact list; a dead phone should not erase your ability to reach people.
• Keep a modest emergency fund. A percentage-based hurricane deductible is a large number, and it comes due immediately.

Want to see where your household actually stands right now? Take the readiness assessment or download the free checklist.