Hurricane Preparedness Gets Hip With New App

Whether you have an iPhone or Android, the American Red Cross wants to make it easy for you to be prepared during hurricanes.

The nonprofit announced Aug. 1 that its new "Hurricane App" is available as a free download in both the iPhone App Store and the Google Play Store for Androids — simply by searching American Red Cross.

The app features important safety information, real-time hurricane tracking and tools to let loved ones and friends know that you’re safe and well.

Features of the app include: 

• One touch “I’m safe” messaging that allows users to broadcast reassurance to family and friends via social media outlets that they are out of harm’s way;
• Location-based NOAA weather alerts for the United States and its territories users can share on social networks;
• Remote monitoring of personalized weather alerts where family and friends reside

Hurricane Season's Peak

According to the National Weather Service, the Atlantic hurricane season peaks in August and extends through September. It was the end of August last year when .

On May 24, the NWS' Climate Prediction Center released its outlook for the 2012 Atlantic Hurricane Season. That reads, in part:

Given the current and expected conditions, combined with model forecasts and possible competing factors, we estimate a 70 percent probability for each of the following ranges of activity during 2012:

• 9-15 Named Storms,
• 4-8 Hurricanes
• 1-3 Major Hurricanes
• An Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) range of 65 percent -140 percent of the median.

The outlook is scheduled to be updated early this month, the center states.