The official hurricane season in the North Atlantic begins today and runs through Nov. 30.

The National Hurricane Center has already tracked a couple of depressions, which did not approach naming strength. What comes next, of course, is anyone’s guess.

Those in the know have already predicted an average or above-average hurricane season. These forecasts don’t always play out, and as always, when our weather eyes are still fresh, we hope the predictions are just plain wrong.

It has been 20 years since the full force of Hurricane Isabel blew through Gloucester and Mathews, in September 2003. Many close calls and tropical storms have visited us since that big one, enough to keep residents on the alert.

We are in much better shape now than we were in 2003. More electrical lines have been buried, many homes that flooded were elevated, and home generators have blossomed across the landscape, preserving electrical power when it’s interrupted.

And for the record, it has been 90...