When it comes to Atlantic hurricane seasons, 2025 was officially a dud. For the first time in a decade, not a single hurricane made landfall in the U.S. during the season, which runs from June 1 through November 30.
Predictions call for below-normal activity in 2026, according to Colorado State University’s annual spring Atlantic hurricane forecast. The CSU team is calling for 13 named storms this season with six becoming hurricanes and two reaching major hurricane strength with sustained winds of 111 miles per hour or greater.
If the forecast holds true, it would be a welcome two-year reprieve from the costly, damaging and deadly hurricane seasons of the recent past.
But one need only look back to the 2015 and 2016 hurricane seasons to understand that a year of relative calm seldom extends to a second year with low activity. In 2015, no hurricanes and only two named tropical storms made landfall in the U.S. A year later, in 2016, two hurricanes and five named storms hit the mainland U.S.
The unpredictable nature of hurricane season means that businesses and communities in the eye of potential storms cannot let their guard down. If anything, those who may be affected by hurricanes should use this time to make sure they are prepared for when a major cyclone is bearing down on them. That means preparing to face the brunt of a storm as well as preparing to quickly and safely recover from any damages caused by a storm.
Having a clear, practiced severe weather emergency response plan is one of the most effective ways to protect your people, your property and your operations when hurricane season begins.
Preparation is a full-time job
Hurricanes don’t happen every day, which is why it’s easy for businesses to put off planning. But when a major storm hits, the impact can be devastating and long lasting. Having a clear, practiced severe weather emergency response plan is one of the most effective ways to protect your people, your property and your operations when hurricane season begins.
Preparation starts with governance. Businesses should create a Severe Weather Emergency Response Team that includes leaders from each major part of the organization. This team owns the plan: developing and updating it, deciding when to activate different alert levels, and knowing when and how to shut down the facility safely. They should identify a secure operations center, appoint an incident commander, and maintain up to date contact lists for internal decisionmakers, local authorities, utilities, emergency contractors, vendors and restoration partners. They’re also responsible for monitoring official weather information and making sure any staff who stay on site during a storm have the provisions they need.
Every function then needs its own documented checklist. Communications teams should plan for disruption by putting in place multiple, tested channels—landlines, mobile and satellite phones, radios, weather radios, handheld email access and walkie talkies—and by assessing how damaged towers, power lines or overloaded networks could affect contact during and after the storm.
Technology and operations should focus on continuity. Critical business data, from customer information to payroll, must be backed up offsite, in a location outside the storm’s projected path. Companies should define how they will keep operating if their primary site is down, whether through portable equipment, sister facilities or hot sites, and they should test those arrangements before they’re needed. On the production side, process flows, fuel supplies and critical systems should be clearly labeled and documented so they can be shut down safely, even by people less familiar with the site. Identifying alternative sites or partners that can pick up key activities helps limit lost business.
Maintenance and security teams carry much of the practical workload. They need training in full and partial shutdown and startup procedures that follow equipment manufacturers’ guidance. They should coordinate fire protection, alarms, security systems and site access, and ensure materials to physically protect the facility are on hand well before a storm is forecast. Working with local law enforcement and mutual aid organizations in advance helps anticipate any access challenges after landfall.
Finally, shutdown and restart plans must be detailed and role specific. As storms approach, defined tasks should be completed at each alert level, leading to a controlled full or partial shutdown. Key personnel—such as maintenance, electricians, plumbers, boiler and refrigeration operators—need to know their responsibilities and have any specialist tools required to isolate valves or repair critical lines.
By spreading this work across the year, businesses can avoid last minute scrambling, reduce stress on employees and show customers that they’re ready to weather hurricane season with as little interruption as possible.
To learn about how businesses can prepare for hurricane season, read AXA XL’s Severe Weather Planning Guide and utilize these Severe Weather Planning Checklists.
James Crews is Regional Engineering Leader, Southeast US. Andre Stankunavicius is Regional Engineering Leader, South Central US and LATAM.
