In a statement, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said NOAA has “never been more prepared for hurricane season,” pointing to “advanced weather models and cutting-edge hurricane tracking systems” that should provide Americans with real-time storm forecasts and warnings.

Hurricane Helene is a reminder that inland regions are vulnerable too. Here are three questions that non-coastal communities should as as hurricane season approaches.

The first tropical wave has emerged off the coast of Africa ahead of the 2025 hurricane season. This tropical wave — a phenomenon defined by the National Weather Service as “an elongated area of relatively low pressure” — is not expected to develop or threaten the U.