Central Florida runs a real hurricane watch box from June through November. We’ve loaded trucks the morning a system was crossing the Bahamas and we’ve postponed jobs the night a Category 3 turned toward Brevard. After Charley in 2004, Irma in 2017, and Ian in 2022, every Orlando mover has a playbook. Here’s ours.
The season at a glance
| Month | Risk profile | NK move posture |
|---|---|---|
| June | Quiet most years; first Gulf systems possible | Standard; pre-9am loads start now |
| July | Calmest of the named months | Best mid-season window to book |
| August | Cape Verde wave train begins | NOAA tracking checked daily at dispatch |
| September | Statistical peak. Most Orlando hits land here | 72-hour weather buffer added to long-haul slots |
| October | Late-season Caribbean systems | Watch Gulf and Cuba; same buffer rule |
| November | Quieter; cool fronts return | Standard scheduling resumes mid-month |
My family rode out Maria in Bayamón in 2017. After three months without grid power we packed up and drove to Orlando. I know what a real Cat-4 looks like, and I run NK around that reality. — Nestor Velasquez
How we track an approaching system
- NOAA National Hurricane Center 5-day cone — checked twice a day at dispatch
- Local Orange County Emergency Management bulletins for evacuation orders
- State of emergency declarations from Tallahassee, which open up I-95 and I-75 contraflow
- Internal call to every customer with a job in the seven-day window
- Reschedule options offered with the deposit fully held, no rebooking fee
Pre-storm pack window
Once a watch goes up, useful pack-out time collapses fast. Here’s what the realistic Orlando timeline looks like:
- 120 hours out: system in the 5-day cone — we phone every booked customer in the window
- 72 hours out: watch issued — last call to load a long-haul truck north on I-75
- 48 hours out: warning — we stop accepting new local bookings, finish the in-progress jobs
- 24 hours out: trucks staged at the Forsyth Rd yard, fueled, sandbagged at the bay doors
- Post-landfall: 24–72 hour pause, then we reopen and prioritize the rescheduled list
Why mid-July beats mid-September
Statistical risk in July is low and the daily storm cell is the only weather to plan around. By September the named-storm probability over Florida peaks and home insurance binders go on pause across the state. A July booking gives you a calmer load day and zero reschedule risk on the long-haul.
Heat protocol on every summer load
Even with no storm in sight, the Florida June-September afternoon climbs past 95F in full shade. Our standard summer protocol on every Orlando job:
- Loads start before 9am, no exceptions
- A/C-only transit — the truck cab and box both stay cooled in transit
- Sealed-bag wrap on upholstered furniture for sweat and UV exposure
- Crew water and electrolyte breaks every 90 minutes, on us
- Box-truck doors closed on the road, opened only at destination
What to pack first when a storm is named
If your move falls in the cone
The honest playbook from our Forsyth Road desk:
- We call you the minute the cone shifts. Don’t wait for the news.
- You pick: load early and stage at our climate-controlled bay, or reschedule.
- Deposit holds either way. No rebooking fee for a named storm.
- If you’re moving out of Florida, we accelerate — trucks rolling on I-75 north before the warning goes up.
- Post-storm, we prioritize customers who lost power or had roof damage. Tariq’s long-haul crew handles those first.
FAQ
Will you load during a hurricane warning?
No. Our last move during a warning was Irma 2017 and we don’t put crews on the road in those conditions. We reschedule.
What if I need to evacuate and store?
Climate-controlled short-term storage at our Forsyth Rd bay. Daily or monthly. Common during named-storm weeks.
Do you charge a hurricane surcharge?
No. The binding flat figure is the binding flat figure. Reschedule due to a named storm carries no fee.
Do I need extra insurance during the season?
Standard $1M cargo coverage rides on every NK load regardless of the month. Your homeowner’s policy at origin and destination is the bigger question — talk to your binder agent in May.
Booking a June-November move? Get a free Orlando hurricane-season quote and we’ll write the reschedule clause into your contract before the truck is scheduled.