It’s hurricane season 2024, and the venerable World Meteorological Organization has announced the names of this year’s Atlantic Basin storms. Those with generators sitting at the ready can sit back smugly with a “bring-‘em-on” look on their faces. But for the rest, it’s time to lay in a supply of flashlight batteries, candles, lanterns and some extra cans of tuna and jars of peanut butter to feed the family in case of a blackout. Remember, no generator? No stove or microwave. Can’t even heat up some soup.

Some of these storms pass unnoticed, hardly making a ripple in the daily routine here or warranting any media coverage beyond a mere mention buried somewhere and hardly seen except by a few weather junkies. Take tropical storm Alberto, for instance, the first named storm of the season, which made landfall near Tampico, Mexico, on a Thursday morning in late June. Texas and Louisiana took brief notice.

Some have greater impact. Tropical Storm Beryl, the second named storm, a Category 1 hurricane, felt mostly across the south, caused eight deaths and 2.5 million people lost power for days. Here on the North Fork, we had some residual wind and rain as Beryl raced up the coast and out to sea.

Here’s hoping that storms in the making will bypass us this year, and that Chris, Debby, Ernesto, Francine, Gordon, Helene, Isaac, Joyce, Kirk, Leslie, Milton, Nadine, Oscar, Patty, Rafael, Sara, Tony, Valerie and William will pass unnoticed, if they must come at all.