TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Less than eight months after Hurricane Michael devastated portions of the Panhandle, Floridians are again preparing for the six-month 2019 Atlantic hurricane season, which begins Saturday.

Packing 160 mile per hour sustained winds last October, Michael was the most recent severe storm to affect the state. Hurricanes Matthew and Hermine impacted Florida in 2016, while Hurricane Irma barreled through much of the state in 2017.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has projected a near-normal season this year, which means nine to 15 named storms, four to eight hurricanes and two to four major storms. National Weather Service meteorologist Mark Wool says Floridians should get a hurricane plan now.

“Regardless of what the outlook calls for, we always encourage people to prepare anyway," said Wool. "It only takes one storm. Ask the folks out in the Panhandle if it was a busy season, and they’ll definitely tell you yes.”

There has already been one named storm this year. Andrea was a short-lived tropical system that organized hundreds of miles southwest of Bermuda on May 20.

