Hurricane Prep Week Is Over for 2026, but Its Seven-Day Plan Still Works
Hurricane Preparedness Week 2026 has already happened. The National Weather Service scheduled it for May 3 through May 9, before the Atlantic hurricane season opened on June 1. That doesn't mean the checklist is outdated. The Atlantic season runs through November 30, and the same seven themes still work for late-season preparation. The National Hurricane Center was still monitoring tropical systems on September 28, including Tropical Depression Fay in the Atlantic.
This guide explains the prep week, lists the official themes, and shows how to run the whole checklist in one weekend before the season ends.
What National Hurricane Preparedness Week Is (and When It Happened)
National Hurricane Preparedness Week is an annual federal safety campaign. NOAA's National Weather Service and the National Hurricane Center lead the effort. It happens each spring just before the ocean waters warm up.
The campaign targets coastal residents right before official storm seasons kick off. The Eastern Pacific season opens first on May 15. The Atlantic and Central Pacific seasons follow right behind on June 1.
For 2026, the official dates ran from May 3 to May 9. That matches the calendars from NWS Wakefield and NWS Mobile. While NWS Newport/Morehead City listed May 2 to May 7, the broader agency standard was May 3 to May 9.
In 2025, the week ran from May 4 to May 10. The White House made that official through a formal presidential proclamation on May 5, 2025.
For 2026, the White House handled things a bit differently. It issued a "Presidential Message on National Hurricane Preparedness Week" on May 3, 2026, rather than a proclamation.
Out in the Pacific, Hawaii runs its own timeline. NWS Honolulu hosted Central Pacific Hurricane Preparedness Week from May 18 to 24, 2025, using the same core safety themes.
Hurricane Awareness Events and Fall Campaigns
You might hear folks talk about a "Hurricane Preparedness Month." No official federal month exists under that name.
Instead, September is National Preparedness Month. Ready.gov, the Ad Council, and FEMA run that effort to cover all natural disasters.
The closest federal awareness tour is the NOAA and U.S. Air Force Hurricane Awareness Tour. In 2026, the tour brought hurricane hunter aircraft to Gulf Coast communities:
Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida, on May 4
Mobile, Alabama, on May 5
Lake Charles, Louisiana, on May 6
Many coastal states also run independent storm awareness days. Check with your state emergency management agency to see what your local office offers.
Key Hurricane Dates at a Glance
Event | Dates |
Hurricane Preparedness Week 2025 | May 4 to 10, 2025 |
Hurricane Preparedness Week 2026 | May 3 to 9, 2026 |
Eastern Pacific season | May 15 to Nov 30 |
Central Pacific season | June 1 to Nov 30 |
Atlantic season | June 1 to Nov 30 |
Atlantic climatological peak | Sept 10 |
National Preparedness Month | September |
Knowing when storms usually form helps you time your prep, and the Atlantic's busiest weeks for tropical storm activity fall between mid-August and mid-October.
Now that the dates and official status are clear, the useful part of the week is its seven daily themes, which work on any calendar.
The Seven Daily Themes, One Day at a Time
During preparedness week, the National Weather Service assigns one specific theme to each day. The campaign runs from Sunday through Saturday.
Each day covers a single, manageable safety task. A family can easily finish any of these tasks after work in the evening.
Day | NWS Theme | What to Do This Fall |
Sunday | Know Your Risk: Water & Wind | Map out local surge, rain flooding, and wind hazards |
Monday | Prepare Before Hurricane Season / Know Your Zone / Storm Surge | Find your zone and verify your local evacuation route |
Tuesday | Understand Forecast Information / High Winds | Learn the difference between watches and warnings |
Wednesday | Get Moving When a Storm Threatens / Inland Flooding | Decide when you will leave or shelter |
Thursday | Stay Protected During Storms / Tornadoes | Identify the safest room in the house |
Friday | Use Caution After Storms / Rip Currents | Plan for power outages, floodwater, and generator safety |
Saturday | Take Action Today | Finish any remaining items on the list |
Sunday and Monday, know your risk and your zone
Water causes far more storm deaths than wind. Storm surge pushes the ocean inland, while heavy rainfall creates dangerous flash floods. Wind tears off roof shingles and snaps tree limbs.
Start by finding your official evacuation zone. Local emergency management agencies draw these zones based on storm surge risk. Check your county or city website to locate your home. If local officials call an evacuation, you must know your zone letter immediately.
Tuesday, understand the forecast
Do not wait for clear skies to turn dark before reading forecasts. Weather alerts carry very specific technical meanings. The National Weather Service uses precise windows for all watches and warnings:
Hurricane Watch: Hurricane conditions (sustained winds of 74 mph or greater) are possible in the area. A watch is typically issued 48 hours before tropical-storm-force winds are expected to arrive.
Hurricane Warning: Hurricane conditions (sustained winds of 74 mph or greater) are expected in the area. A warning is typically issued 36 hours before tropical-storm-force winds are expected to arrive.
Tropical Storm Watch: Sustained winds of 39 to 73 mph are possible within 48 hours.
Tropical Storm Warning: Sustained winds of 39 to 73 mph are expected within 36 hours.
Tuesday's theme matters most once a storm forms, because knowing the difference between a watch and warning tells you how many hours you have left to secure your home.
Wednesday and Thursday, move or shelter.
Wednesday focuses on moving before roads flood. Heavy tropical rain can drown low-lying roads hundreds of miles inland. Leave early if you live in an evacuation zone or mobile home.
Thursday is all about hunkering down safely. Tropical systems frequently spin off fast-moving tornadoes along their outer rain bands. Find a small interior room on your lowest floor. Hallways, closets, or windowless bathrooms provide the best shelter from flying debris.
Friday and Saturday, after the storm and taking action
Generator safety is critical. The CDC says run fuel generators only outside, more than 20 feet from windows, doors, and vents. Never run one inside a home or garage, even with the doors open. Saturday is simply the day to finish whatever is still on the list.
Friday's "use caution after storms" theme is where most households feel the gap. The days after landfall often mean no grid power in heat and humidity.
Keeping the Power On for the "After the Storm" Days
After landfall the biggest daily risks at home are spoiled food, heat, and dead phones. A battery power station runs indoors with no exhaust. That removes the carbon-monoxide risk that comes with fuel generators. It is not a whole-home solution, but it keeps critical loads alive.
Food safety is one reason refrigeration matters. FoodSafety.gov recommends keeping refrigerator and freezer doors closed during an outage. A closed refrigerator generally keeps food cold for about four hours. A full freezer can hold its temperature for about 48 hours, while a half-full freezer lasts about 24 hours.
Real loads help size the battery. ENERGY STAR certified refrigerators average about 386 kWh per year across thousands of models. That works out to roughly 44 watts on average over 24 hours. ENERGY STAR certified ceiling fans average about 34 watts on high speed. Check your own appliance label. Compressor startup draws more.
Estimated runtimes
Formula: capacity (Wh) × 0.85 ÷ load (W). These are estimates.
Unit | Connected Appliance Load | Estimated runtime |
EcoFlow DELTA 3 Classic (1,024 Wh) | Modern Refrigerator (44W) | About 20 hours |
EcoFlow DELTA 3 Max (2,048 Wh) | Refrigerator + Ceiling Fan (78W) | About 22 hours |
Keep in mind that real-world conditions can reduce these estimates. Hot kitchen temperatures force fridge compressors to cycle more often. Opening the doors frequently dumps cold air and wastes energy. Older appliances also draw considerably more power than modern units.
Both units recharge quickly. The EcoFlow DELTA 3 Max reaches 0–80% in 68 minutes from wall or generator charging. The EcoFlow DELTA 3 Classic does the same in 45 minutes on AC. Both support Storm Guard Mode in the app, which activates backup before extreme weather hits. That feature ties directly to Tuesday's "understand the forecast" theme.
What if the outage runs for days and you want a fan going too? That's where more capacity earns its keep. The EcoFlow DELTA 3 Max can run a fridge and a ceiling fan for about 22 hours, based on the load assumed above. Actual runtime depends on your appliances and conditions, and an outage that lasts for days needs a way to recharge.
The EcoFlow DELTA 3 Classic suits apartments, renters, and evacuation bags where weight matters. The EcoFlow DELTA 3 Max covers longer fridge-plus-fan runtimes at home.
Before buying, list the loads you truly need. Use a simple sizing method for hurricane backup so the battery matches your fridge, fans, and medical devices.
Backup power only helps if the rest of the plan is current, so the next step is checking what forecasters now expect for the rest of 2026.
Where the 2026 Season Stands Now
Seasonal hurricane outlooks are not landfall predictions. They estimate overall ocean and weather conditions across the basin. Even a statistically quiet season can bring a catastrophic storm to your coastline. As meteorologists remind us every year, it only takes one storm to make it a bad year.
Two NOAA outlooks
May 2026 outlook | August 6, 2026 update (CPC) | |
Named storms | 8 to 14 | 7 to 13 (includes 2 already recorded) |
Hurricanes | 3 to 6 | 2 to 6 |
Major hurricanes | 1 to 3 | 0 to 2 |
Below normal | 55% | 75% |
Near normal | 35% | 20% |
Above normal | 10% | 5% |
The CPC noted a 90% chance of a strong or very strong El Niño during August through October. Strong El Niño events shear apart storms in the Atlantic basin.
For perspective, an average Atlantic season (1991 to 2020) sees 14 named storms, 7 hurricanes, and 3 major hurricanes.
In Hawaii, the picture looked very different. On May 21, 2026, NWS Honolulu predicted 5 to 13 tropical cyclones, giving a 70% chance of an above-normal season.
Do not let low Atlantic activity totals drop your guard. The NHC was actively tracking systems on September 28, 2026. Always visit nhc.noaa.gov for real-time tropical advisories.
Once a system forms, learning how to read hurricane spaghetti models helps you judge the spread of possible tracks without panicking over one line.
With the forecast in context, the last piece is turning the seven themes into a short list you can finish before November 30.
A One-Weekend Version of Hurricane Prep Week
You don't need to wait for next May. Squeeze the week into two days. Here are seven tasks, one for each theme.
Confirm your evacuation zone through local emergency management
Review insurance coverage for home and property
Save NWS and NHC alert sources on your phone
Stage a basic kit:
One gallon of water per person per day, for several days
Several days of nonperishable food
NOAA Weather Radio
Flashlight and first-aid kit
Whistle and manual can opener
Phone chargers and a backup battery
Charge and test your backup power station
Write a family communication plan
Plan for post-storm hazards
Flood insurance deserves a separate check. Flood damage generally isn't covered by standard homeowners insurance. NFIP policies also typically have a waiting period, so review FloodSmart.gov before storm season creates an urgent need.
A shelter-in-place supply bin should hold water, food, lights, and backup power for your hurricane kit so you can stay put safely if you're outside the evacuation zone.
Looking ahead, the 2027 Hurricane Preparedness Week will likely take place in early May. Check weather.gov and nhc.noaa.gov next April for official campaign dates.
Conclusion
National Hurricane Preparedness Week ran May 3 to 9, 2026, but its seven daily themes fit any point in the season. You can still prepare for wind, water, and power outages today. Run the one-weekend checklist now, since the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific seasons stay active through November 30. If spoiled food and dead phones are your biggest worry, compare the EcoFlow DELTA 3 Classic and EcoFlow DELTA 3 Max to power your must-run home essentials.
FAQs
When is National Hurricane Preparedness Week 2026?
National Hurricane Preparedness Week 2026 took place from May 3 to May 9, according to the National Weather Service. The White House issued a presidential message on May 3, not a formal proclamation, to mark the week nationwide.
When was Hurricane Preparedness Week 2025?
Hurricane Preparedness Week 2025 ran May 4 to 10. It was set by a presidential proclamation, which the White House published on May 5, 2025, a day after the seven-day awareness week had officially begun.
Is there a hurricane preparedness month?
There is no federal Hurricane Preparedness Month. However, September is National Preparedness Month, which promotes readiness for hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and other emergencies through year-round planning and preparedness activities.
What is hurricane awareness week?
There is no separate federal awareness week. People usually mean Hurricane Preparedness Week or the annual NOAA and Air Force Hurricane Awareness Tour. Additionally, several individual coastal states organize their own localized storm safety weeks.
When does hurricane season end?
The Atlantic, Eastern Pacific, and Central Pacific hurricane seasons officially end November 30. However, tropical systems can occasionally develop outside those dates, so residents should continue monitoring official forecasts when conditions warrant.
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