 St. Lucien's have been called upon to finalize preparations for the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season. Tuesday 1st June marks the official start to the hurricane season. However, the region did see the formation of tropical storm Anna on the 22nd of May. Anna, a sub-tropical cyclone, was short-lived and posed no threat to life, no property. Director of the St. Lucia Med Services, Andres Juarez, says this hurricane season will be above normal. He says this is the sixth consecutive year that forecasters are predicting above normal activity. The Colorado State University, in their April 2021 forecast, anticipates that there will be 17 named storms of which it will develop into hurricanes with four attaining major hurricane status. NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency, predicts a 70% probability of above normal cyclone activity this year. They are expecting the formation of 15 to 20 named storms of which 6 to 10 will become hurricanes, including three to five major hurricanes. The tropical storm risk out of the United Kingdom has predictions for 18 named storms, nine of which will attain hurricane strength, and four of them will become major hurricanes. Mr. Juarez urges the public to have in place disaster management plans at the household level, as well as the business level. While St. Lucia traditionally experiences heightened cyclone activity between the months of September to November, Mr. Juarez reminds that rain events can occur at any time. We encourage you to consistently follow regional weather developments and to pay particular attention to local weather reports, advisories and bulletins issued by the St. Lucia Med Services. The National Emergency Management Organization, NEMO, will also be issuing important directives and information which you are strongly advised to heed. Pre-season rainfall over St. Lucia this year has generally been near normal, and this trend is likely to continue into July. Rainfall thereafter is expected to be normal to above normal. In spite of this prediction, note that heavy rainfall episodes are an expected feature of our rainy season and the occurrence of flooding and landslides remain a major concern. The hurricane season officially ends November 30.