For the latest U.S. hurricane alert, start at the National Hurricane Center (NHC) storm page on hurricanes.gov. Read the newest Tropical Cyclone Public Advisory, then open weather.gov to find the local National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Forecast Office serving your address. The NHC advisory tells you which areas are under hurricane, tropical-storm, or storm-surge watches and warnings; the local office explains expected wind, rain, flooding, surge, and tornado impacts. Follow evacuation instructions from local emergency officials immediately, regardless of what a map or app says.
This process applies to NWS products for the Atlantic and eastern North Pacific. If you are outside the United States, use your national meteorological service and local emergency-management authority, because alert names, boundaries, and delivery systems differ by country.
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Where to check first
The National Hurricane Center storm page
Hurricanes.gov is the NWS-recommended starting point for active Atlantic and eastern North Pacific tropical cyclones. Select the storm or disturbance affecting your region and look for the latest Tropical Cyclone Public Advisory. This is the official storm-wide bulletin, not a crowdsourced map or an unofficial forecast.
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The advisory normally gives the cyclone’s position, maximum sustained wind, movement, current watches and warnings, and a description of the principal hazards. The text is the authoritative place to determine whether a named coastal area is included. A graphic accompanies the advisory and helps you see the storm’s position, forecast track, and watch or warning areas.
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Your local NWS Weather Forecast Office
After reading the NHC advisory, go to weather.gov. Enter your city, county, or ZIP code and open the Weather Forecast Office (WFO) serving your location. The WFO is the best source for local timing, expected conditions, and protective actions. When issued, read its Hurricane Local Statement and any threat or impact graphics.
A local statement translates the storm forecast into effects for the office’s area. It can discuss damaging wind, storm surge, flooding rain, tornadoes, road conditions, preparedness actions, and local timing. Two communities under the same storm-wide warning can receive different local impacts, so do not stop after viewing the NHC map.
How to check whether an alert covers you
1. Open the current NHC advisory
- Visit hurricanes.gov using a bookmark or a link from the NWS.
- Choose the active Atlantic or eastern North Pacific storm page.
- Open the newest Tropical Cyclone Public Advisory and note its issue time. Older screenshots and cached social-media posts may show an alert that has since changed.
If several disturbances appear, identify the system whose forecast track or hazard area is nearest you. Read the advisory’s date and time before acting on a copied image.
2. Read the watch-and-warning text
Find the section listing current watches and warnings. Match your county, parish, island, coastal community, or other named area exactly. A location can be under a tropical-storm warning while a nearby coastline has a hurricane warning, or under a storm-surge warning without a hurricane warning. These are separate products for different hazards.
Do not infer coverage from distance to the storm center. The alert applies to the geographic area named in the product, and local authorities may issue evacuation orders for places that are not under a hurricane warning.
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3. Use the graphic without treating the cone as a danger boundary
Use the accompanying map to orient yourself, confirm the named watch or warning area, and see the forecast track. The forecast cone represents uncertainty in the center’s path; it is not a map of every place that can experience dangerous weather. Wind, rain, surge, tornadoes, and power disruptions can extend hundreds of miles from the center and can occur outside the cone.
Read the text and local WFO products even when your town appears outside the shaded cone. Conversely, being inside the cone does not mean every hazard will occur at your address or that the center will pass directly overhead.
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4. Open your local Hurricane Local Statement
On your WFO page at weather.gov, look for a product titled Hurricane Local Statement, local tropical cyclone statement, or a comparable storm-specific update. Read the sections covering your county or forecast zone. Pay attention to:
- When tropical-storm-force or hurricane-force winds could begin and when the worst conditions are expected.
- Storm-surge or coastal-flooding risk, including whether low-lying roads and neighborhoods are affected.
- Expected rainfall, river flooding, flash flooding, and areas where drainage may fail.
- Tornado potential, especially in rain bands far from the center.
- Recommended preparations, shelter information, road closures, and other local instructions.
Impact graphics can make these details easier to scan, but the written statement supplies the context and qualifications. Check the issue time because local statements are updated as the forecast changes.
5. Follow evacuation instructions
Local emergency managers and elected authorities decide whether to issue evacuation orders, identify zones, open shelters, and close roads. NWS guidance says to evacuate immediately when instructed. A watch or warning is not a substitute for an evacuation order, and waiting for a hurricane warning can leave too little time for a safe departure.
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Use the route and destination supplied by local officials rather than choosing a route solely from a storm map. If you need transportation, medical support, or a pet-friendly shelter, contact local authorities as soon as an order is announced.
6. Refresh products on the official schedule
For Atlantic and eastern North Pacific storms, NWS advisories are issued at least every six hours. When coastal tropical-storm or hurricane watches or warnings are in effect, advisories are issued every three hours. Refresh the NHC page and your WFO page after each scheduled update and whenever local officials announce a change.
Those intervals describe the normal product schedule, not guaranteed preparation time for your particular address. A watch or warning can be added, expanded, or upgraded between the updates you happened to read, so keep more than one alert channel active.
What each watch and warning means
The terms below are NWS product definitions. They describe the expected hazard and a typical planning window; they do not promise that every location will receive exactly that much notice.
| Product | What it means | Typical window | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane watch | Hurricane conditions, including sustained winds of at least 74 mph, are possible in the specified area. | Generally within 48 hours. | Complete preparations before tropical-storm-force winds make outside work and travel dangerous. |
| Hurricane warning | Hurricane conditions, including sustained winds of at least 74 mph, are expected in the specified area. | Generally within 36 hours. | Finish preparations now and evacuate if local officials order you to leave. |
| Tropical-storm watch | Tropical-storm conditions, with sustained winds from 39 to 73 mph, are possible in the specified area. | Generally within 48 hours. | Secure property, review communications and travel plans, and monitor for an upgrade. |
| Tropical-storm warning | Tropical-storm conditions, with sustained winds from 39 to 73 mph, are expected in the specified area. | Generally within 36 hours. | Complete protective actions and follow local instructions. |
| Storm-surge watch | Life-threatening inundation from rising water moving inland from the shoreline is possible. | Generally within 48 hours. | Check local surge maps and evacuation information; prepare to leave if directed. |
| Storm-surge warning | Life-threatening coastal inundation from rising water moving inland is expected. | Generally within 36 hours. | Follow evacuation orders and move to the designated safe location. |
A hurricane watch does not mean a hurricane will definitely reach your address, while a hurricane warning means the NWS expects hurricane conditions in the named area. The same storm can produce a storm-surge warning, tropical-storm warning, and hurricane warning over different zones because wind and water hazards do not have identical footprints.
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Why the cone is not enough
What the forecast graphic does show
The NHC graphic shows the storm’s current position, forecast path, and areas under watches or warnings. It is useful for seeing the storm’s broad direction and for locating the alert area relative to your community.
What it does not show
- It does not show the full area that could experience damaging wind, rain, surge, tornadoes, or power outages.
- It does not show the exact size of the wind field or the height of storm surge at a particular street.
- It does not define a safe side and a dangerous side of the storm.
- It does not replace county-level evacuation zones, flood maps, or instructions from emergency managers.
For example, a location outside the center-line cone can still receive tornadoes in outer rain bands or flooding from prolonged rainfall. A coastal community well away from the center can still face life-threatening surge. Use the cone for track uncertainty and use local statements for hazards.
Choosing dependable ways to receive updates
NWS and NHC recommend maintaining multiple ways to receive forecasts and alerts. No single channel is guaranteed to work during a power outage, cellular congestion, internet loss, or a device failure.
| Channel | Best use | Strengths | Limitations to plan for |
|---|---|---|---|
| NHC website | Storm-wide watches, warnings, advisories, and maps. | Primary source for Atlantic and eastern North Pacific tropical-cyclone products. | Requires a working device and connection; you must read the location text yourself. |
| Local WFO website | County- and forecast-zone-specific impacts and Hurricane Local Statements. | Adds local timing, hazard explanations, and preparedness information. | Different offices publish different local products; confirm which WFO serves your address. |
| Wireless or phone alerts | Fast notification while away from a computer. | Can reach a configured phone through public alert systems. | Settings, battery, coverage, carrier behavior, and device compatibility affect delivery. |
| NOAA Weather Radio | Continuous official broadcasts, including when internet service is unavailable. | A dedicated receiver can provide an additional path for watches, warnings, and forecasts. | Needs power or batteries and a signal; it supplements, rather than replaces, local instructions. |
| Broadcast media | Plain-language summaries and local road or shelter information. | Useful when you need an ongoing explanation of changing conditions. | Summaries can lag the official product; verify important details against NWS or local officials. |
| Local emergency officials | Evacuation orders, zones, shelters, transportation, and re-entry rules. | Only local authorities can direct community protective actions. | Instructions vary by jurisdiction; follow the authority for your exact location. |
Enable emergency notifications on your phone, keep it charged, and store the NHC and local WFO pages in your bookmarks. If you use a NOAA Weather Radio, a model with Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME) can be configured for selected areas; treat it as an optional supplement, not a replacement for local alerts.
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Before a watch is issued for your area
- Identify the WFO serving your home, workplace, school, and any evacuation destination.
- Learn your local evacuation zone and the official route before roads become crowded.
- Write down important phone numbers and save official websites for offline reference.
- Check batteries, chargers, medication, drinking water, and documents so preparation does not depend on a last-minute store trip.
After a watch appears
- Read the NHC advisory and the local statement in full, including the issue time.
- Secure outdoor objects, protect windows if advised locally, and move vehicles out of flood-prone areas.
- Tell household members which channel will be monitored and what action will trigger departure.
- Check whether your work, school, transit service, or care facility has issued separate instructions.
After a warning or evacuation order
- Stop relying on forecasts to decide whether an evacuation order applies; follow the order from local officials.
- Leave by the designated route while roads are passable and before tropical-storm-force winds arrive.
- If sheltering in place is directed, stay indoors away from windows and continue monitoring official updates.
- Do not drive through flooded roads or around barricades. Water depth and road damage can be impossible to judge.
Troubleshooting common alert questions
“Is there a hurricane warning for my area?”
Check the current NHC advisory’s named-area list, then confirm the local WFO statement. Search for your county or forecast zone rather than relying on a city name that may be used in several states. If local officials have issued an evacuation order, follow it even if the NHC list does not use your town’s name.
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My location is near the edge of the shaded area. Does the boundary protect me?
No. The graphic boundary describes the product area, not a sharp line where hazards stop. Read the local impact statement, especially for surge, flooding rain, and tornadoes, and monitor later updates for expansions or changes.
The website has not changed, but conditions look worse.
Check the advisory issue time and refresh both the NHC and WFO pages. Use another official channel, such as NOAA Weather Radio or local broadcast coverage, while connectivity is unreliable. Do not treat a delayed page, screenshot, or social post as newer than a dated official product.
I see a tropical-storm warning but no hurricane warning.
That can be correct. A tropical-storm warning concerns expected sustained winds of 39 to 73 mph, while a hurricane warning concerns expected sustained winds of at least 74 mph. Other hazards, including surge and flooding, can still be life-threatening under a tropical-storm warning.
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Wait for local officials to announce that re-entry is allowed. Wind can drop before floodwater, damaged utilities, contaminated water, and blocked roads are safe. The end of a warning on the NHC map is not a re-entry authorization.
I live outside the United States.
Use your country’s meteorological service for watches and warnings and your local emergency-management authority for evacuation and shelter instructions. U.S. NHC and NWS products are not the universal alert system, and terminology or lead times may differ.
Quick Recap
The shortest reliable routine
- Open hurricanes.gov and read the latest Tropical Cyclone Public Advisory.
- Match the named watch or warning area to your county, parish, island, or forecast zone.
- Open weather.gov, select your local WFO, and read its Hurricane Local Statement and impact graphics.
- Follow evacuation or shelter instructions from local officials, not just the cone.
- Keep the official pages refreshed and maintain a second alert channel such as phone notifications, broadcast media, or NOAA Weather Radio.
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