Arlene Serves As Reminder Of Hurricane Season’s Impending Start

RUSKIN, FL — The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season doesn’t officially start for more than a month, but don’t tell that to Arlene. She managed to gain tropical storm status on Thursday while kicking around in the Atlantic Ocean about 1,200 miles west of the Azores. With maximum sustained winds of 50 mph early Friday, the pre-season storm ended up fizzling out later in the morning after encountering a “large extratropical cyclone,” the National Hurricane Center reported.

While now considered Post-Tropical Cyclone Arlene by hurricane center forecasters, the storm’s early arrival stands as a reminder the season is fast approaching. She, like January 2016's Hurricane Alex, also show that weather doesn't necessarily pay attention to the calendar.

“It’s never too early to prepare,” Daniel Noah of the National Weather Service’s Ruskin Office told Patch.

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There are number of steps emergency management officials recommend residents across Florida take to prepare for hurricane season. According to the National Hurricane Center, there’s more to getting ready than just stocking up on water and nonperishable food.

Here are a few things the center recommends residents do before storms arrive:

• Know the types of hazards that may impact a particular community or home. Residents should know their homes’ potential vulnerability to flooding, storm surge and winds.
• Know if a home is within an evacuation zone.
• Pick out a safe room in a home to retreat to, or identify the need to evacuate should it become necessary.
• Plan ahead for pets should evacuation become necessary.
• Use a NOAA weather radio to keep up with any local warnings.
• Stockpile water, non-perishable food items and other necessary emergency supplies.

To make getting ready for the season easier on the budget, Noah recommends Floridians start buying items for their hurricane kits sooner rather than later.

“Every time you’re at the store (buy something),” he said. “Buy water one week, canned food the next. Make sure you have a can opener, too. By June 1, you’ll be set to go.”

See also: Atlantic Hurricane Season 2017 Predictions Released

The Atlantic Hurricane Season typically runs from June 1 through Nov. 30 each year. Last year, the pre-season was quite active. Hurricane Alex’s January appearance was the first recorded for that month since 1955. Alex was followed by Tropical Storm Bonnie in May, just days before the season kicked off.

As for Tropical Storm Arlene’s April appearance, that’s also a rarity, the National Hurricane Center says.

“Arlene is only the second one observed in this month during the weather satellite era which began in the late '60s,” the agency reported on Facebook. “It should be noted, however, that this type of storm was practically impossible to detect prior to the weather satellite era.”

For more information about hurricane safety, visit the National Weather Service online.

Image courtesy of the National Hurricane Center