Guides

The guides we keep current.

News tells you what happened. These tell you what to do about it — one maintained page per hazard, refreshed before each season opens rather than rewritten every time the hazard is in the headlines.

Hurricane season · June 1 – November 30 · peak September 10

Hurricane season prep: the family checklist, what it costs, and the moment to act

A complete family hurricane plan costs about $300 beyond what you already own and takes one weekend — here is the checklist with prices, the watch-vs-warning thresholds that should trigger each step, and why NOAA's below-normal 2026 forecast is not a reason to skip it.

Updated August 14, 2026 · 5 min

In progress: wildfire and smoke season, extreme heat, winter storms and hard freezes, and spring flooding — each on an annual refresh cycle timed to when the season actually starts.