Hurricane Season

The official Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico hurricane season starts on June 1, ends on November 30, and averages seven named storms.  The 2005 Atlantic season was a  record breaker. Twenty-eight storms reached speeds of thirty-nine miles per hour, the threshold for being named by the National Hurricane Center. Among them, Hurricane Katrina was the deadliest and costliest hurricane in U.S. history, and Wilma the most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded.

The Atlantic basin is expected to see an above-normal hurricane season this year, according to the seasonal outlook issued by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center – a division of the National Weather Service.

Across the entire Atlantic Basin for the six-month season, which begins June 1, NOAA is predicting the following ranges this year:

12 to 18 named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher), of which:

6 to 10 could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including:

3 to 6 major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5; winds of 111 mph or higher)
Each of these ranges has a 70 percent likelihood, and indicate that activity will exceed the seasonal average of 11 named storms, six hurricanes and two major hurricanes.

To see what type of damage different levels of hurricanes can cause, go to the AP Interactive feature.

Check in at the National Hurricane Center at any time to see what storms are in the area.

Weather WizKids has a very complete hurricane page which will help you learn what a hurricane is, how it forms, and much more, including hurricane vocabulary such as

TROPICAL STORM WATCH - Tropical Storm conditions with sustained winds from 39 -74 mph are possible in your area within the next 36 hours.
TROPICAL STORM WARNING - Tropical Storm conditions are expected in your area within the next 24 hours.
HURRICANE WATCH - Hurricane conditions with sustained winds of 74 mph or greater are possible in your area within the next 36 hours. This WATCH should trigger your family's disaster plan, and protective measures should be initiated. Especially, those actions that require extra time such as securing a boat and leaving a barrier island.
HURRICANE WARNING - Hurricane conditions are expected in your area within 24 hours. Once this WARNING has been issued, your family should be in the process of completing protective actions and deciding the safest location to be during the storm.

and more.

Hurricane Names
Hurricanes, tropical storms, and tropical cyclones in other parts of the world are identified by names. The north Atlantic and eastern north Pacific oceans use a six year rotating list of hurricane names. If a hurricane is severe, that hurricane name is retired and a new one is chosen to replace it. If any hurricane name is retired from the 2011 east Pacific or Atlantic hurricane season the list of hurricane names for 2017 will be adjusted by the National Hurricane Center.

Take a look at the names for hurricanes from 2011-2016.