It’s easy to associate storm surge—one of the most unpredictable aspects of a hurricane—with typical flooding or underestimate its reach, not realizing how fast and forceful the water can be.

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

These charts, based on the National Hurricane Center’s National Storm Surge Risk Maps, show the potential amount of surge along the U.S. Atlantic coast for hurricanes of different severity.

In 2024, all storm surge fatalities from Hurricane Helene were in the Tampa Bay area; that’s why it’s essential to learn from the past and prepare for the future.

Storm surge is defined by the National Hurricane Center as an abnormal rise of water generated by a storm. This rise in water level can cause extreme coastal flooding as a tropical system ...

With 15 days left before the official start of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, forecasters for the National Hurricane Center weren't seeing any disturbances May 17 that they expect would ...

The National Hurricane Center issued its first daily tropical outlook of the 2025 hurricane season this morning, Thursday, May 15, and the news is good: "Tropical cyclone activity is not expected ...

Storm surge is defined by the National Hurricane Center as an abnormal rise of water generated by a storm. This rise in water level can cause extreme coastal flooding as a tropical system ...

The National Hurricane Center now sees several tropical waves in the Atlantic storm basin. Tropical Storm Sally on Monday strengthened into a hurricane, becoming at Category 2 at 5 p.m. Sally's ...

The National Hurricane Center said there are no tropical disturbances in the Atlantic basin and no tropical cyclone activity is expected during the next seven days. Forecasters are tracking two ...

Hurricane Idalia is expected to come ashore Wednesday as a Category 3 storm, bringing a storm surge of 10-15 feet to the Big Bend of Florida. Wednesday also marks a full moon.