Hurricane season officially starts today, June 1, and there are things to know as you plan ahead for what has been predicted to be an above-average season

Residents of Greater Brandon and the Tampa Bay area got a taste of nature’s fury March 31, with a string of storms and tornado strikes from which damages were captured in vivid detail.

The day’s events served as a reminder of the importance of getting up-to-the-minute information about such things as forecasts, shelters, safety tips and aid.

Especially important — as emphasized in Brandon Patch interviews during and after the March 31 storms, with both a family and neighbors on Cornell Drive and a husband and wife and two neighbors in Progress Village — is the knowledge of what to do during and after a storm strikes.

Brandon Patch helps in that effort with the charts below, offering information to clip and store and post and save as the hurricane season gets under way.

The National Hurricane Center predicts that it will be an above-average season with:

• 12-18 named storms,
• 6-10 hurricanes, and
• 3-6 major hurricanes with sustained winds of 111 miles per hour or higher (Categories 3, 4 or 5).

In its 28th annual report, the Tropical Meteorology Project at Colorado State University, led by Philip Klotzbach and William Gray, predicted on Dec. 8 that there would be 17 named storms, nine hurricanes and five major hurricanes. The report notes that these forecast numbers  are “close to the active Atlantic basin hurricane season experienced in 2010."

“The U.S. was extremely lucky in 2010 in that none of the 12 Atlantic basin hurricanes that formed crossed the U.S. coastline,” Klotzbach said in a news release. “On average, about one in four Atlantic basin hurricanes make U.S. landfall, and therefore, we could expect to see more landing hurricanes in 2011."

Brandon Patch posted information about hurricanes and flooding as part of its Florida Severe Weather Awareness Week  coverage. The posting includes links to other weather events and to the hazardous weather background, tips and information posted by the Florida Division of Emergency Management and the American Red Cross.

The Hurricane Preparedness Website offers extensive links and information about:

• Hurricane history,
• Hurricane hazards,
• Hurricane forecasts,
• Hurricane preapredness, and
• Actions to take to save lives as work and home and while on the road or in the water.

At a more local level, the charts below contain information necessary for Hillsborough County residents, as provided by county officials:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/national-hurricane-center-predicts-average-2011-season/story?id=13727919