Hurricane Season: '10 Names and Sales Tax Holiday

By Matt Poms Saturday, May 29, 2010

The State of Virginia is encouraging residents to prepare for hurricane season by holding a Hurricane Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday through Monday, May 31.

The event, which began May 25, will feature no state sales tax on items used to ready homes and businesses for hurricanes, such as batteries, flashlights, bottled water, portable generators and other goods. All retailers will be participating, as mandated by Virginia state law. Click here for a full list of items that fall under the no-sales-tax rule.

“It is critical that every Virginian treat hurricane season seriously and understand how they could be affected by flooding, high winds and tornadoes during this time of year,” Governor Bob McDonnell said in a press release. “Those who live along coastal areas also need to learn if they are in a storm surge zone and determine where they would go if they have to evacuate. Everyone should take steps now to help keep their families safe.”

Hurricane season, which officially begins June 1, could be more severe than normal this year, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s yearly forecast. The report called the 2010 season, which runs through Nov. 30, “an active to extremely active” year, with 14 to 23 named storms expected.

Of those, eight to 14 are forecast to be of hurricane strength, with three to seven major hurricanes projected.

The 14 to 23 named storms are the most predicted by the NOAA’s forecast since the annual report began in 1998.