Moving During Hurricane Season in Florida and the Carolinas

When is hurricane season in Florida and the Carolinas?

Florida, South Carolina, and North Carolina all sit in the Atlantic hurricane basin. The Atlantic hurricane season dates are the same every year: according to the National Hurricane Center, the official season runs from June 1 to November 30.

Storms are not spread evenly across those six months. The National Hurricane Center puts the peak of the season at September 10, with most activity occurring between mid-August and mid-October. Early June and late November are usually quieter, though a storm can form at any point in the season.

The coast gets the attention, from the Florida Keys and Tampa Bay up through Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Wilmington, and the Outer Banks. Inland cities are not exempt. A storm that comes ashore can carry heavy rain, flooding, and power outages well away from the beach.

Should you avoid moving during hurricane season?

For most people, no. The season covers half the year, including the summer months when families most want to move, and people relocate to and from the Southeast every week of it. Many moves during the season go ahead without any tropical weather near the route.

What changes is how much slack you need. A move in January can be planned to the hour. A move in September should be planned with a second date in your pocket. If your timing is open and the idea of a delay worries you, a date outside the mid-August to mid-October stretch lowers the odds of a disruption. Nobody can promise you a storm-free week months in advance, and you should be wary of anyone who does.

Hurricane season moving tips: build in flexible dates

The most useful hurricane season moving tips are about the calendar, not the boxes.

• Overlap your homes. Keep the old lease or delay the sale closing a few days past your moving date, so a postponed move does not leave you without a place to stay
• Pick a backup date when you book. Ask your mover what the next open day would be if the first one is lost to weather
• Avoid stacking deadlines. A closing, a lease end, and a new job starting on the same day leave no room for a delay
• Line up insurance early if you are buying. Coverage takes time to put in place, and according to FEMA, a new National Flood Insurance Program policy typically takes 30 days to take effect. Talk to a licensed insurance agent as soon as you are under contract
• Book refundable travel for yourself where you can

Plan on 3 to 4 weeks of notice for a long-distance move and 1 to 2 weeks for a local move, and more in summer and at the end of the month.

How to watch the forecast before moving day

Tropical storms rarely arrive by surprise. Forecasters usually track a system for days before it nears land, which gives you time to adjust if you are paying attention.

• About a week out, start checking the National Hurricane Center's tropical outlook once a day, along with the local National Weather Service forecast for both addresses
• Watch the whole route. On a long-distance move, a storm several hundred miles from your home can still close highways your truck needs
• Know the terms. A hurricane or tropical storm watch means those conditions are possible in the area. A warning means they are expected
• Follow your county emergency management office for evacuation zones and orders. Local officials make those calls, not forecasters
• Use official sources. Forecast track maps shared secondhand are often out of date

If a system is heading toward either end of your move, call your mover before you do anything else.

Ask your mover how a hurricane delay on moving day is handled

Have this conversation when you book, not when the sky turns gray. Good questions include:

• If a storm threatens my pickup or delivery date, who makes the call to reschedule, and when?
• How is the new date set, and how will I be contacted?
• If my shipment is already on the truck, where does it wait out the storm?
• How might the delivery window change if roads are closed or an evacuation is under way?
• What does my valuation coverage cover, and what does it not?

Read our plain-language guide to moving insurance and valuation before you sign, and ask your own insurance agent whether your homeowners or renters policy covers belongings in transit. No reputable crew will load or drive in dangerous conditions, and no schedule is worth asking them to. A hurricane delay on moving day is an inconvenience. The alternative is worse.

Protect belongings and paperwork from wind and water

• Carry the irreplaceable items yourself. Passports, birth certificates, closing papers, insurance policies, medications, and backups of family photos ride with you in a waterproof container
• Photograph your belongings before they are packed, and keep your inventory list where you can reach it
• Use plastic bins for items that must stay dry, and tape box seams fully
• Keep boxes off the garage floor at both homes. Garages are the first place water goes
• Do not leave packed boxes or furniture outside or on a porch overnight
• If you use storage, ask about the building's flood history and what the contract says about storm damage

If you want the packing done to a professional standard, our packing services include all materials.

What to do if a storm threatens your moving week

1. Call your mover early. Moving the date up by a day or two, or pushing it back, is easiest to arrange before everyone else calls
2. Follow official orders. If an evacuation is ordered for either address, the move waits. Leave when you are told to leave
3. Tell the other parties. Let your landlord, agent, lender, and closing office know the move may shift, and ask what a delay means on their side
4. Secure what is already packed. Move boxes to interior rooms, off the floor, and away from windows
5. Prepare the home you are in the way local officials advise, even if you are days from leaving it
6. Expect a backlog afterward. After a storm, power outages, closed roads, and rescheduled jobs can stretch timelines for several days

Moving to Florida during hurricane season, or moving to the Carolinas

If you are moving to Florida during hurricane season or moving to the Carolinas from a part of the country that does not get tropical weather, add a few items to your first-week list:

• Look up your evacuation zone and route on your county emergency management website
• Sign up for your county's emergency alerts
• Find out whether the home has storm shutters or panels and where they are kept
• Put together basic supplies: water, shelf-stable food, flashlights, batteries, and a battery-powered radio
• Review your homeowners or renters insurance and ask an agent about flood coverage, which is typically a separate policy

Your new neighbors do this every year. It becomes routine quickly.

Allpoints Moving Services is based in Metro Atlanta and moves customers nationwide, including throughout the Southeast. Request a free quote, tell us how flexible your dates are, and use our moving checklist to keep the rest of the plan on track.