Kennedy Space Center
Hurricane Preparedness
Hurricane season is June 1 to Nov. 30. Should weather on Florida’s Space Coast take a turn for the worse, Kennedy Space Center employees can rely on these critical resources to keep them connected and informed.
Hurricane Conditions
The hurricane condition (HURCON) is an alert scale that signifies when specific preparations should be made for an approaching hurricane. It’s important to understand that the onset of sustained winds occurs earlier than landfall, which is when the center of the storm reaches land.
Kennedy’s HURCON actions are as follows:
HURCON IV: 72 hours prior to 50-knot sustained winds. This initial notification and preparation phase includes implementing organization-specific checklists, ensuring all government-owned vehicles and General Services Administration vehicles are fully fueled, and confirming Rideout Team (ROT) personnel.
HURCON III: 48 hours prior to 50-knot sustained winds. Primary actions include securing facilities, property and equipment, as well as briefing and deploying the ROT.
HURCON II: 24 hours prior to 50-knot sustained winds. All securing actions are completed or terminated; non-ROT personnel are released, and ROT personnel are sheltered.
HURCON I: 12 hours prior to 50-knot sustained winds. Kennedy remains closed, all perimeter gates closed, ROT is sheltered at designated locations.
Information Resources
The Kennedy weather website, KSCWeather.ksc.nasa.gov, is your one-stop shop for weather information related to Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The site has a link to the 45th Weather Squadron web page where you can find daily and weekly planning forecasts for the Space Coast, and you can also find links to the local National Weather Service Office, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Storm Prediction Center, and the National Hurricane Center.
For emergency updates on Kennedy, the Kennedy Space Center Operating Status page is the go-to website for the latest storm news, the center’s operational status, links to the National Hurricane Center, shelter and roadway information, and more.
Kennedy also provides telephone hotlines for people to hear the latest operational status update and other pertinent data direct from the EOC.
Toll Free: 1-866-572-4877
Local: 321-861-7900