THAT TIME 1888 AGAIN 1947
Hurricane season begins June 1, so get ready
W elcome to hurricane season - six months of keeping one eye on the Weather Channel

SOURCE: NOAA All charted Florida Hurricanes since 1851.

and hoping we don't

see Jim Cantore on our beaches. It's the price we Southwest Floridians pay for the glorious winter weather we just enjoyed.

But it doesn't have to be as stressful. Get your hurricane prep done now, order those storm shutters or windows, stick an extra bottle of propane in the garage, store a few extra cans of beans in the pantry and check our Florida Weekly's tips in this edition.

After all, Lee County has been hit by only eight hurricanes in the past 156 years, that's about one every 20 years. And since Charley blew through in 2004, we're good for another 17 years. Right?

But if you really want to be safe, head for Sarasota or Manatee counties (see the map above). They've never had a hurricane.