Hurricane season is officially underway, and for many people across the Houston area, the memories of Hurricane Beryl are still fresh.
Beryl left millions without power across Southeast Texas in 2024, forcing families to endure days without air conditioning, wait in long lines for gasoline, and scramble for ice, food, and ways to charge their phones.
Now, as the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season begins, emergency managers are reminding residents that preparation cannot wait.
While there are currently no tropical threats in the Gulf of Mexico, officials say now is the time to restock emergency supplies, review insurance policies, and make sure every household has a storm plan in place before the next system threatens the Texas coast.
Meteorologists note that June is typically a quieter month for tropical activity, but history shows early-season storms can still bring significant impacts. According to Weather.com, storms that develop during June most often form in the Gulf of Mexico, northwestern Caribbean, or western Atlantic, areas close enough to bring impacts to the United States. Even weaker tropical systems can produce dangerous flooding, storm surge, and prolonged power outages.
For Houston-area residents, Tropical Storm Allison remains a reminder that a storm does not have to reach hurricane strength to be devastating. The 2001 storm caused catastrophic flooding across the region and became one of the few tropical storms to have its name retired.
Forecasters expect the developing El Niño pattern to help limit hurricane activity across the Atlantic later this season, but experts stress that it only takes one storm to create a disaster. NOAA’s outlook calls for a below-average season overall, yet emergency managers warn that seasonal forecasts do not predict where storms will make landfall.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs through November 30.