USA TODAY spoke with National Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan about what you should do to prepare for hurricane season, which starts June 1.

The first week of hurricane season 2026 in the tropical Atlantic came in like a lamb, but there is a system in the Gulf forecasters are watching.

When powerful hurricanes form over the ocean, specialized aircraft fly directly into the storm to gather data satellites alone cannot provide. But instead of using large airliners, many government agencies rely on modified business jets for some of the most dangerous weather missions on Earth.

The start of the 2026 hurricane season is expected to be quiet with no significant tropical disturbances in the near future. While a weak tropical system could develop by mid-June, historical data shows early season storms are typically less intense.

Large limbs has split from an old live oak tree in Palmer Park in New Orleans, leaving a jagged break visible along the trunk, Sunday, March 8, 2026. A crew removed the fallen branches Monday. The damaged tree is one of the park's mature live oaks, long a defining feature of the Uptown landscape.

The Florida International University research could eventually influence how homeowners choose and place trees around houses in hurricane-prone regions. They might also help insurers assess risk, utilities anticipate power disruptions

Historically, June ranks as the third-quietest month for tropical cyclone activity affecting Florida, behind only July and November.

In the days and weeks after Hurricane Melissa’s Oct. 28 landfall as a Category 5 storm, local businesses in Jamaica also directed people to The American Friends of Jamaica to donate.

Giselle Torres’ homeowners insurance has gone up more than 1,100% since she moved into her one-story baby blue house near Opa-locka 35 years. After her husband died unexpectedly last April, she couldn’t afford the bill when it came time to renew.