Hurricane season and your move

Hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30 — half the year. If your move falls in that window, a few decisions made early will matter far more than anything you do when a storm is actually named.

What a named storm actually does to a move

Long before landfall, a storm in the forecast cone can:

• Put condo buildings into lockdown, cancelling all elevator reservations
• Close ports and halt interstate freight
• Trigger evacuation orders that make crews unavailable
• Empty every hardware store of packing and protective materials

Note that none of those require a direct hit. A storm 200 miles offshore can still cancel your move date.

Before you book

Ask about the storm policy

Any Florida mover should have a clear answer to: what happens if a named storm falls on my date? Look for free rescheduling and no forfeited deposit. Get it in writing.

Check your coverage

Ask two questions of your own insurer: are goods covered in transit, and are they covered in storage? These are often different answers. Standard carrier valuation is limited — see our terms for how released value and full value protection differ.

Build in a flex date

If you are moving in September or October, the statistical peak, hold a backup date a week either side. Movers can usually accommodate a shift far more easily than an emergency booking.

Heat is the bigger everyday risk

Storms get the attention, but the thing that damages more belongings in a Florida summer is simple heat. An unconditioned truck or storage unit here regularly exceeds 120°F inside.

Item	What heat does
Candles	Liquefy, then ruin everything beneath them
Vinyl records	Warp permanently
Electronics	Battery swelling, screen damage
Wine	Cooked within hours
Solid wood furniture	Splits and joint separation
Artwork	Canvas slackening, varnish softening

Anything on that list travels in your own air-conditioned car, or in climate-controlled transport. There is no third option that works here.

If a storm is named before your move

1. Call your mover immediately. Do not wait for them to call you — reschedule requests are handled in the order received.
2. Call both buildings. Lockdown decisions come from management, not from the city.
3. Do not move partially. Half your belongings in a truck and half in a house is the worst outcome. Move fully or postpone fully.
4. Photograph everything before it is packed. Timestamped photos make any claim vastly simpler.

If a storm is named after you have moved

You are in a new building and may not know its procedures. Find out where the shutters are stored and who installs them, whether the building has a generator and what it powers, and where residents are told to park. Do this in the first week, not when a cone appears.

Moving out of Florida during season

If you are relocating out of state between June and November, ask specifically what happens if the truck is loaded and a storm develops mid-route. A carrier running dedicated trucks can reroute; a carrier consolidating your shipment with others often cannot, and your goods sit in a warehouse somewhere until the network unblocks.

That is one reason we run dedicated trucks rather than consolidating loads.