Kate, Larry, Sam and Grace. No, they’re not two couples planning a vacation, they’re just four of the names that are in the 2015 list of Atlantic tropical storms and hurricanes.
Each year the National Weather Service uses a list of names for all major storms that form in order in each of the Atlantic and Pacific basins, and right now we’re in the middle of Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30 each year. Currently, Tropical Storm Erika is bearing down on the Caribbean, with current projections calling for it to increase in strength to a hurricane by the time it reaches Florida after taking a course over Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and the heart of the Bahamas. Only the fifth storm of the season, the NWS predicted back in May that this year’s hurricane season is expected to be a bit quieter than average thanks to El Niño’s influence, with six to 11 named storms expected through the whole of the storm season. The NWS website lists the upcoming names for this season and future seasons, plus the storm names for the Pacific basin.
Hurricanes are unpredictable, and can form throughout the Pacific and Atlantic, leading to high winds, heavy rains and potentially serious damage and destruction at locations along their path. This is just one great reason to consider purchasing trip insurance, especially if your destination takes you near or to a location that sits in an area that often experiences hurricanes.
At Blue Horizon Travel, we’ve partnered with Travel Guard to offer trip and travel insurance to protect customers in case of these unpredictable events. To qualify for protection, coverage must be purchased at least 24 hours prior to a storm being named. With protection, if your accommodations are damaged and unable to honor your reservations or provide comparable options or if the storm causes airport closures or cancellations, travel insurance will reimburse you for nonrefundable costs and even cover reasonable alternate accommodations and expenses until you are able to travel.
Trip insurance is always a great option for the same reason as any insurance: The unexpected can happen at any time, and having insurance protects you from whatever may come. For more information on travel insurance and hurricane season, check out Travel Guard’s top questions here or contact us today to learn more about how you can add protection to your travel plans.
