Tropical Weather

What Might This Year's Hurricane Season Look Like?

WUSF | By Dinorah Prevost,

Bradley George

Published May 20, 2021 at 8:45 AM EDT

Forecasters at the National Weather Service office monitor Hurricane Irma on Sept. 9, 2017, at the hurricane center in Miami.

The 2021 Atlantic Hurricane season begins soon — June 1.

Today, we’re talking about preparing for hurricane season, and why there were so many storms last year.

Last season broke records, with 30 named storms.

And National Hurricane Center director Ken Graham says this year could be just as active.

“We can't control how busy the season is. If it's one of those busy seasons, you just gonna have to be ready every single time but have a plan,” Graham said.

First, host Bradley George speaks with Ray Hawthorne, a meteorologist at the Florida Public Radio Emergency Network.

Hawthorne says while the beginning and end of the season are often the worst for Florida’s west coast, it only takes one destructive storm to make it a bad season.

Later in the episode, you’ll hear from Laura Wilcoxen, the interim emergency management director for Pasco County, via Zoom.

We have more on the 2021 hurricane season on our weather page here.

And you can listen to George's full conversations with Hawthorne and Wilcoxen above by clicking on the “Listen” button. Or you can listen on the WUSF app under “Programs & Podcasts.”