CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – With it being peak hurricane season, let’s define what a hurricane is.

A hurricane is an intense, organized thunderstorm over tropical water. They have very strong circulation wind of over 74 miles per hour.

Most people hear category one, category two, but what does that mean? Category one means that it’s going to have winds between 74 and 95 miles per hour and they are considered dangerous, but it’s only minimal damage. Category two means more extreme winds and extensive damage with wind speeds between 74 and 95 miles per hour.

Category three has winds speeds between 111 and 129 miles per hour with even more devastating damage. Category four is worse, with wind speeds between 130 and 156 miles per hour. The last one is category five, which means you could lose a house with winds of up to 157 miles per hour.

Now, when is hurricane season exactly? It actually comes at the end of August through the beginning of September, and we can already see lots of hurricanes formed already.

We’re seeing one in California for the first time in 84 years that Southern California has had a hurricane. We see some tropical storms also forming in the Gulf. So right now, between now and the middle to end of September is hurricane season.

What can you do to stay prepared? Well, the best way is to prepare many things, such as trimming branches that are breaking from trees, so less debris is likely to fly around, charging your electronics, and putting together a prep kit with food, medicine, first aid, water, and anything that you would need in an emergency situation. Decreasing your fridge temperature is not one that’s most thought of, but if the power goes out, you want to keep that food cold for as long as possible.