Why Hurricane Preparedness Matters (Even in ‘Slow’ Years)

It’s just half a month into hurricane season, and so far, there’s been only one area of note for hurricane development near Florida. So, hurricane season is off to a slow start, and is likely to be a below average year due to El Niño conditions in the Atlantic. Yet, despite it being a slow year, hurricane preparedness is still important for homeowners throughout Florida.

Why?

There are many reasons to be prepared for hurricanes, even in slow years:

Why Hurricane Preparedness Matters: Fewer Hurricanes =/= NO Hurricanes

A year of low activity is not a ‘hurricane-free’ year. Even during El Nino years, hurricanes can and will form that impact the Florida panhandle. 

FOX Weather put together an article detailing some of the most notable hurricanes to form in the Atlantic during El Nino years, including:

• Hurricane Betsy. A 1965 storm that reached Category 4 before hitting Louisiana.
• Hurricane Agnes. A 1972 hurricane that impacted Florida’s panhandle region and caused 122 deaths.
• Hurricane Alicia. A 1983 low pressure system that formed off of the coast of Louisiana before striking Texas as a hurricane with 115 mph winds.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) put out a list of years with recorded El Nino conditions, as well as a table of Atlantic hurricanes that lists names, relative strengths, and impacted states. If you correlate the two lists, you can see how often hurricanes hit Florida during El Nino years:

Hurricanes that Hit Florida:

That’s a total of 128 recorded hurricanes (and one tropical storm) impacting Florida. 21of those occurred during El Niño years, and some El Niño years had multiple hurricanes affecting our state. That means that roughly 16% of all hurricanes to impact Florida have occurred during El Niño years.

Comparatively, only 13 hurricanes impacted Florida during La Niña years… and La Niña is supposed to encourage storm formation while El Niño is supposed to suppress it! In other words around 9% of hurricanes hit Florida during La Niña.

Naturally, there is a gap in the El Niño/La Niña data, as the NOAA only has information about the phenomenon going back to 1896.

So, while El Niño usually means fewer hurricanes, they can still form and there are several instances where multiple hurricanes impacted portions of Florida during a single El Niño year. Just because it’s normally a slow year when El Niño is in effect doesn’t mean that there’s no hurricane risk!

Why Hurricane Preparedness Matters: Prep Measures Are Useful in Other Situations

What’s the worst case scenario if you take a bunch of hurricane preparedness measures and there’s no hurricane? It might feel like you wasted time, money, and effort. However, even without an actual hurricane, hurricane prep can still provide you with some value.

How?

Some potential scenarios include:

• Stockpiling Bottled Water. If you have a stash of bottled water for waiting out a hurricane, that can be a supply of drinking water for other situations like water utility failure. Worst case scenario, that’s bottled water you can bring with you to work or on hikes if you end up not needing it for a hurricane.
• Replacing Your Windows. One way a lot of homeowners choose to protect their homes is by installing impact-rated windows designed to stand up to hurricane-force winds and flying debris impacts. Even without a hurricane, impact windows can help protect your home and family from would-be home invasions by preventing or significantly delaying a break-in attempt.
• Stockpiling First Aid Supplies. Even absent a full-on natural disaster, first aid supplies are in the category of things that are “better to have, and not need, than need and not have.” In any family, there are countless opportunities for minor injuries to happen: scraped knees, minor burns, even broken bones. When these happen, you’ll be glad you have some first aid supplies on hand!
• Collecting Shelf-Stable, Ready to Eat Food. The great thing about a lot of shelf-stable foods that don’t require cooking to eat is that they last a long time. So, the worst case scenario if you get a lot of MREs or other no-prep preserved meals is that you have food you can count on for camping trips or whenever you just want to eat without having to cook.
• Being Ready for Next Year. The truth of the matter is that it isn’t a question of if a hurricane will hit your home in Florida, but when. If you gather up a bunch of hurricane survival supplies and don’t have a use for them this year, you’ll have a head start on your prep for next year. 

How Impact Windows Can Be Your Best Hurricane Preparedness Measure

When it comes to hurricane damage, the old saying “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” definitely applies. 

According to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, the average square footage of a Florida home is about 1,630 sq. ft. as of May 2026. The cost to rebuild a home can vary between $100 and $250 per square foot according to Angi’s List data. In other words, the average cost to rebuild a home destroyed by a hurricane can fall between $163,000 and $407,500. 

Considering how the risk of outright building failure sharply increases once the envelope of the structure is opened up to the outside, it’s easy to see how installing impact windows can actually save you money in the long run. If even one major hurricane hits your home and an impact window deflects a piece of flying debris that would have shattered a normal window, you’ll be glad you took the time to replace them!

If you want to protect your home for decades to come, reach out to Karoly Windows & Doors! We specialize in impact window and door installation to help protect your home from the worst effects of hurricanes.

Unlike many other window companies, we never outsource our installation work to third party subcontractors. That way, you don’t have to worry about whether you’re getting service from professionals who know what they’re doing or abject amateurs. With Karoly, you always get top-tier installers because we don’t outsource.

Reach out today to get started with free in-home consultation! We’ll help you identify the best impact windows and doors for your home.