DECEMBER THROUGH MARCH is when this should happen. Crews are available, measurements and orders are unhurried, and custom units have all the lead time they need. This is also the only window where you can get several quotes and actually compare them rather than taking whoever answers.
APRIL AND MAY are the last honest chance. Anything custom has to be measured, ordered and manufactured before it can be installed, and that is weeks, not days. A May order for custom units is realistic. A May order placed with a storm already named is not.
JUNE THROUGH NOVEMBER is the season, and the market changes character completely. When a storm enters the Gulf, demand goes vertical within hours, every installer is booked, and manufacturers run out. The only things obtainable at that point are what somebody already has in stock, which usually means panels.
THE STORM WEEK ITSELF is the wrong time to be shopping and the right time to be checking. Run every shutter you already own all the way closed and back. Tracks seize, motors fail and hardware disappears between seasons, and finding that out with two days of warning is far better than finding out with two hours.
TEST IN MAY, EVERY YEAR. Put it on the calendar the way you would a smoke alarm. Cycle everything, lubricate the tracks, confirm you can still find every bolt and panel, and confirm the manual override works. Ten minutes in May is worth more than any upgrade.
AFTER THE SEASON, in late fall, is when to fix what you learned. Whatever stuck, whatever you could not reach, whatever you did not have time to close. That is the list, and December through March is when to act on it.
- December through March: the real window, with time to compare quotes
- April and May: last chance for anything custom, which needs weeks of lead time
- Once a storm is in the Gulf, only in-stock product is obtainable
- Cycle every shutter closed and open every May, like a smoke alarm test
- Late fall is when to fix whatever you learned during the season
Questions people ask about when to order hurricane shutters
When should I order hurricane shutters?
December through March. Crews are available and custom units have lead time. April and May still work for custom orders. Once a storm is named, only what somebody has already in stock is obtainable.
Can I get shutters installed with a storm coming?
Usually only in-stock panels, if anything. Custom units have to be measured, manufactured and delivered, and that is weeks. When a storm enters the Gulf every installer in the region books out within hours.
How often should I test what I already have?
Every May, and treat it like a smoke alarm test. Cycle everything fully closed and open, clean and lubricate the tracks, confirm every panel and bolt is still there, and confirm the manual override works.