We want to make sure you have what you need to protect your home and family.

What you need to keep your family safe

Stay prepared throughout the season

Don't wait until a storm forms

Evacuations: Know when to go

Know how to get out of danger

Why everyone in our area should have it

What makes hurricanes so devastating?

How does La Niña affect the season?

Here's what NOAA says

It was the deadliest U.S. disaster

Track storms once they form

The 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season is here and we want to make sure you're prepared. It's expected to be an active season, so make sure you have everything you need to keep yourself, your home and your family safe if a storm comes our way. And make sure you have the KHOU 11 news app to stay updated when you're not in front of your TV or computer.

In the KHOU 11 Hurricane Preparedness Guide, which is in both English and Spanish,  we'll take you through all of the dangers of tropical weather, from storm surge to wind damage and flooding. We have checklists, evacuation information and much more.

We also take you through what all of the Watches and Warnings associated with storms mean. as well as what damage hurricanes can do by category.

Download the KHOU 11 Hurricane Preparedness Guide here

A lot of people wait until a tropical system is heading our way before preparing and stocking up on supplies. By then, there are often long lines and empty shelves. There are things you can do before storms form to make sure you'll have everything you need.

Meteorologist Chita Craft has a list of everything you need to have in your hurricane preparedness kit:

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Storms can form in a hurry so you'll want to be prepared throughout the Atlantic Hurricane Season. 

There have been plenty of changes since Hurricane Harvey in 2017. As anchor Shern-Min Chow reports, since that devastating storm, voters have passed a $2.5 billion flood control bond package. Bayous have been widened and dredged. Retention ponds have been built. And more projects have been completed or are in the works.

But regardless of what's been done by the city or county, there is always risk, especially in tropical weather, so here are some quick reminders.

In Harris County, you can text GULF 2021 to 888-777 to get alerts sent to your phone. You can also download the KHOU 11 app. We will send alerts when severe weather is threatening your location.

You may be asked or told to evacuate so that you're out of an area that a hurricane or tropical storm is bearing down on.

It happened two years ago with Hurricane Laura and it could happen this year. So it’s important you know where your home falls on the region’s evacuation plan.

There’s a ZIP code color-coded map. Storm surge is a big threat with tropical weather, so people close to the coast may need to evacuate to get out of harm’s way.

To get people to safety more quickly, the state has a system of contraflow, which is when all inbound lanes of a freeway change to flow outbound.

State and local leaders, along with emergency operations personnel, make the call on that. They can order contraflow on I-10, I-45, 290 and the Eastex Freeway, sending people to San Antonio, Dallas, Austin or East Texas.

If you do need to evacuate, here’s what you’ll need:

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June marks the start of hurricane season, which means now is the time to make sure you have everything in order.

As Stephanie Whitfield explains, that’s especially true for flood insurance, because it takes 30 days for a new policy to kick in.

If you live in a designated flood zone, flood insurance is required.

But more than half of the homes that flooded during Hurricane Harvey were outside that zone, so that's something experts say everyone should consider

What makes hurricanes and tropical weather so devastating and how do they form?  The KHOU 11 Weather team explains.

What is the 'dirty side' of a storm?

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Storm surge is the deadliest part of the storm.

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Why do hurricanes and tropical storms spin counter-clockwise?

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Why could something called “La Niña” lead to an active hurricane season this year?

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says La Niña conditions are expected to persist through this hurricane season. And while we are talking about the Atlantic hurricane season, it’s conditions out in the Pacific that can affect the severity.

A cycle of climate patterns off the coast of Peru shift back and forth every two to seven years alternating between El Niño and La Niña.

During El Niño, ocean temperatures in the Pacific are warmer than normal. During La Niña, water temperatures are cooler than normal. During El Niño, higher wind shear is more likely over the Caribbean which can be disruptive to hurricane development.

The deadliest U.S. disaster struck right here in our area. It was the hurricane that struck Galveston in 1900. It hit before storms got names.

It was referred to as the "Great Storm of 1900" and it claimed the lives of 12,000 people, including 8,000 on the Island. No one saw it coming.

KHOU 11 Meteorologist Chita Craft explains below.

Scientists at that time didn't believe a catastrophic cyclone could form near Galveston because of how shallow the continental shelf is -- until Sept. 8, 1900, proved that theory wrong when a Category 4 hurricane slammed Galveston.

The lack of forecasting tools and no real warning system made the 1900 hurricane the deadliest natural disaster in the U.S. It's documented that 12,000 people were killed, including 8,000 people on the Island.

A statue was later erected to remember the lives lost. And at the Rosenberg Library, memories of the hurricane are captured in several letters.

"The waters of the gulf were piled up by a formidable storm," one reads.

Another witness said, "the more substantial buildings, containing their hundreds of terrified humanity collapsed like shells crushing."

The 2022 seasons is expected to be a busy one. Here's this year's lineup.

And if we get past Walter, here's what happens.

When there's a storm in the Atlantic or Gulf, you can track it here.

Keep these resources handy throughout hurricane season.

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