Every Florida homeowner has heard “prepare before the season starts,” and most still end up at the hardware store the week a storm turns toward the coast. The prep itself isn’t complicated, it’s just easier to do in June than in a Tuesday-to-Thursday window with a hurricane three days out.
Short version: The Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30, with peak activity mid-August through mid-October. Real preparedness means building a supply kit before you need it, securing the home’s exterior, and having your insurance paperwork and photos ready, all done well before a storm is named, not after.
Want this as a printable PDF? Download the full Florida Hurricane Preparedness Checklist, a two-page supply kit and prep timeline you can check off by hand and keep on the fridge or in your go-bag.
When the season actually runs, and when it peaks
June 1 through November 30 is the full window, but activity isn’t evenly spread across it. The stretch from mid-August through mid-October is when storms are most likely to form and most likely to strengthen quickly, so treat late summer as the time to have everything already done, not the time to start.
Building the kit before you need it
A basic kit covers water (a gallon per person per day, enough for at least a week), non-perishable food, a battery or hand-crank radio, flashlights, a first aid kit, and a manual can opener. Add copies of prescriptions and a way to charge phones without power. The point of building this in June is that stores empty out fast once a storm is tracking toward the state, and prices on plywood and generators climb right along with the demand.
Protecting the house itself
If the home has hurricane shutters or impact windows, confirm they’re actually operable well before a storm, not the day one is announced. Whether impact windows are required at all depends on your specific location, covered in Florida hurricane building code by region, some Central Florida properties near larger lakes fall under stricter requirements than the surrounding area. Trim trees and remove dead limbs that could become projectiles in high wind. Clear gutters so heavy rain has somewhere to go. If you’re in an HOA community, check what the HOA rules say about temporary storm protection like plywood, since some associations have specific requirements about how and when it can go up.
The paperwork side most people skip
Walk through the house and photograph or video every room, including closets and the garage, and store it somewhere other than your phone, like cloud storage. This is the evidence an insurance claim runs on if the worst happens. Confirm your policy’s wind and flood coverage now, not after a storm is already offshore, since many insurers won’t bind new coverage once a storm is in the forecast cone. Wind and flood are covered by entirely separate policies, and the gaps between them catch people off guard, see homeowners insurance in Florida and flood insurance in Florida for what each actually covers.
The final 48 hours
Fill vehicles with gas, withdraw some cash in case card readers are down, and fully charge every device and power bank in the house. Move outdoor furniture and anything that can become a projectile indoors or into a garage. Know your evacuation zone ahead of time, not when an order is issued, since that’s not the moment to be searching for it.
This covers the supply-and-prep side. For evacuation zones and what the law actually requires, emergency alert systems worth signing up for, and what to do during and after the storm itself, see hurricane preparedness in Florida: the complete guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Officially June 1 through November 30, with peak activity typically running from mid-August through mid-October.
One gallon per person per day, enough to cover at least a week for every member of the household.
Early in the season, ideally in June, before a storm is actually being tracked. Stores empty out quickly and prices on items like plywood and generators rise once a storm enters the forecast.
Yes. Photograph or video every room, including closets and the garage, and store the files somewhere other than your phone, such as cloud storage. This becomes the evidence an insurance claim relies on if damage occurs.