Hurricane season: 10 days and counting

With 10 days before the 2006 hurricane season begins, officials at the National Hurricane Center predicted today that there will be between four and six major storms in the Atlantic this year, with up to 16 named storms in all. If that's true, it will be a significant drop from last season's 15 hurricanes and 27 named storms, but we'll be seeing increased hurricane activity for the next eight years or so — experts say we're in the middle of a 20-year cycle of above-normal Atlantic activity.

And despite recent findings that a lot of Americans don't think hurricanes are a big deal, KPRC found several cautious Houstonians shopping for storm supplies over the weekend, including one guy who's apparently anticipating a flood:

"I was thinking — maybe if I had sand bags, I could pile up sandbags around the inside and keep it from coming in. But, I don't even think that would help," shopper Paul Decuir said.

Dang, Decuir's on the ball. Houstonist hasn't even bought our flashlight batteries and Spam, and he's already thinking about sandbags? In addition to the usual supplies, Plylox, the clips that let you cover windows with plywood without using nails, are also popular this year. Better stock up now.