By: Maddy Langemach, Disaster Response Specialist, at HHI
Hurricane Season has begun. The season lasts from June 1 through November 30. Our team tracks hurricanes and storm systems through a number of different sources. NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) provides great tools for reading hurricane forecasts.
When NOAA forecasts storms, they classify them in one of these four categories:
D: Tropical Depression – wind speed less than 39 MPH
S: Tropical Storm – wind speed between 39 MPH and 73 MPH
H: Hurricane – wind speed between 74 MPH and 110 MPH
M: Major Hurricane – wind speed greater than 110 MPH
Every year the National Hurricane Center releases names for hurricane systems. In just the first week of Hurricane season, a tropical storm was given the first name Arlene.
![](https://www.hearttoheart.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Names-of-Hurricanes.png)
Though the season is long, the most destructive hurricanes typically occur between August and October. The DRT also follows the app Hurricane Tracker which provides a number of maps, forecasts, and different hurricane track models, and additionally the updates are also available on this Facebook group.