Tuesday, June 1, and that means it's the first day of hurricane season and ends on November 30, 2010

This season is forecast to be more active than normal with eight Major Hurricanes expected.

Now is when you make sure your hurricane kit is ready and you are prepared before any storms threaten Southwest Florida. 

The U.S. National Hurricane Center will announce storm watches and warnings 12 hours earlier than in previous hurricane seasons. The earlier lead-time will give those living in coastal areas more time to prepare and evacuate. Officials can give more advance warnings and watches because of advances in tracking storms and forecasting their projected paths.

2010 Hurricane Names

Alex, Bonnie, Colin, Danielle, Earl, Fiona, Gaston, Hermine, Igor, Julia, Karl, Lisa, Matthew, Nicole, Paula, Richard, Shary, Tomas, Virginie and Walter