The Atlantic hurricane season lasts from the beginning of June until the end of November and this year's season is expected to be an active one.
Officials advise to not wait until a storm is already in the Gulf to gather supplies and make a plan for your family.
"Build a supply kit, have a supply of water, non-perishable food items, some extra cash, also medicines and things like that," said Dan Reilly with the National Weather Service. "Get that ready now because storms can form right off the coast and move in really quickly."
Stores like Home Depot are stocked with supplies necessary for hurricane season and despite the start of hurricane season this weekend, that's not what most people are there to buy.
"We kind of wait til the storm or wait until they start talking about it and then you start think about it. A lot of people do that," said resident Will Bernard.
Bernard has lived on the Gulf coast for years but today he's just shopping for air filters, but does know what to purchase.
"You want to get water, all the essentials. If you have any pets you want to have them taken care of," Bernard said. "You want to get extra gas if you are going to drive somewhere. A lot of people try to get a generator, if you can."
Those items are all smart buys but even smarter is to stock those items now, and as Harris County Judge Ed Emmett advises to stay connected.
"Monitor the media constantly about what is going on, check in. Too many people today have gone off to satellite radio, and other things, and they may not pay attention to what's happening locally and they need to because we could get hit," Judge Emmett said.
If making a plan for your family and creating an entire hurricane kit seems daunting, and expensive, consider this and think about preparing now.
"A lot of these items are Father's Day type items. So, we have a lot of Father's Day and many of these items you'll find on sale," said Susan Caraway with Home Depot. "So it's a perfect time to get ready for hurricane season."
The Houston/Galveston National Weather Service will host its 2013 Hurricane Workshop tomorrow. It is being held at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Hall D from 10am to 3pm.
There will be talks on the current hurricane season coming up as well as ways to prepare your home and your family.
The event is free and you can register online to avoid any delays at the door.
Active season expected
NOAA's outlook for the season is 13-20 tropical storms and 7-11 hurricanes, with 3-6 of those possibly becoming major hurricanes. They say it could be an "extreme" or "hyperactive" season.
NOAA says these numbers are well above the seasonal average of 12 named storms, 6 hurricanes and 3 major hurricanes.
One of the things NOAA takes into consideration is a global look at water temperatures in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, says ABC13 Meteorologist Travis Herzog. He says there is already warm water in the tropical Atlantic Ocean, which may signal the possibility of more storms and stronger storms.
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