Outdoor Living Guides & Tips

What Is Hurricane Season Awning Prep?

Hurricane season awning prep is the short checklist Florida homeowners and business owners work through before a tropical storm or hurricane threatens: retract and lock down every retractable awning and screen, verify that fixed aluminum canopies, standing seam awnings, and Bahama shutters are anchored to their engineered fastener schedule, and clear the patio of anything that can become a projectile. The Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30, and the statistical peak for Florida falls between mid-August and mid-October, so late September, when this guide is published, is exactly when the checklist matters most.

At 1800Awnings.com in Tampa, Florida, we build and ship shade products for this climate every day, and the question we hear every September is the same: "Will my awning survive a hurricane?" The honest answer depends on which product you own. A fabric retractable awning like the Sunflexx® or Zeus Shademaker is designed to be retracted before severe weather, not to ride it out. A welded aluminum G Series canopy or Standing Seam Awning is a permanent structure that stays in place and relies on product-specific engineering and correct anchors. This guide walks through both categories, product by product, with the exact prices of the protective add-ons that make the job easier.

Hurricane Season Awning Prep: What Each 1800Awnings Product Needs

Why a Hurricane Season Awning Prep Checklist Matters in Florida

Wind Is the Number One Cause of Awning Damage

Retractable awning claims almost never come from the sun; they come from a gust that catches an extended awning while nobody is home. Tampa Bay sits in a 140-plus mph ultimate design wind speed region under the Florida Building Code, and coastal counties run higher. Even a tropical storm well below hurricane strength produces sustained winds of 39 to 73 mph, which is far beyond what any extended fabric awning is designed to hold. A retracted awning presents almost no surface area to the wind. An extended one is a sail bolted to your house.

Retractable Products Are Designed to Retract, Not to Resist

This is the single most important distinction. Products such as the Sunflexx, Sunscape, Apollo, Zeus, Hercules, Helios, and Titan screens carry engineering for everyday Florida gusts, thunderstorm outflow, and coastal breezes. The Sunflexx even carries certified engineered wind-load ratings and a patented shoulder joint that flexes under gust pressure. None of that is hurricane protection. The manufacturer's guidance, and ours, is to retract fully before any named storm, tropical storm watch, or severe thunderstorm warning. Eastern says it plainly: no retractable awning should be left extended unattended, even with the Wind & Rain Package.

Fixed Aluminum Products Are Designed to Stay Put

Permanent aluminum awnings, canopies, and Bahama shutters are treated as building attachments that must resist wind loads under the Florida Building Code, and many cities and counties across Tampa Bay require a permit and product-specific engineering. Because 1800Awnings designs and fabricates these in-house, the engineering package is prepared for your unit's dimensions, projection, mounting method, and location. That is why prep for a G Series canopy or Standing Seam Awning is about verification, not removal.

Automation Buys You the Minutes You Do Not Have

Tampa's summer pattern is a clear morning and a violent 3 p.m. thunderstorm, and gust fronts arrive ahead of the rain. If you commute, travel, or own a rental, a wind sensor is the difference between an awning that is already stowed when the squall line hits and one that is torn from its arms. The Somfy Eolis 3D Wirefree RTS wind sensor for the Helios is $308. (The Sunflexx Wind & Rain Package, from $730, is different: drop-down support legs for use while you're home, not an automatic sensor.) Spending a few hundred dollars to protect a $3,000 to $10,000 awning is simple insurance math.

Manual Override Matters When the Power Goes Out

Power often fails before the worst wind arrives. Every Sunscape motor option 1800Awnings sells, the Somfy 535A2, 550R2, and 660 RTS CMO, includes a Compact Manual Override so you can crank the awning closed by hand with no electricity. If you are choosing a motor for a Florida home, that override is worth more in September than the remote is in May.

Retractable vs. Fixed: Two Different Prep Routines

Retractable Awning and Screen Checklist

1. Retract fully as soon as a tropical storm watch is issued for your county. Do not wait for the warning.
2. Confirm it is locked in the cassette. Semi-cassette and full-cassette Shademaker models (Apollo, Zeus, Hercules) enclose the fabric roll; open-roll systems benefit from a hood (Helios hoods run $536 to $678; Sunflexx and Sunscape hood and end covers are sold separately).
3. Cut power at the switch or unplug the motor once retracted so a surge or a stray remote press cannot extend it during the storm.
4. Remove drop valances, drop shades, and side screens where possible. Motorized drop shades and the Titan screen should be fully rolled up.
5. Do not strap or tie the awning to railings or posts; that transfers load into the arms and mounting brackets.
6. After the storm, inspect the arms, cables, and brackets before extending, and let any wet fabric dry fully extended on the first clear day to prevent mildew.

Fixed Canopy, Standing Seam, and Bahama Shutter Checklist

1. Verify anchors match the engineering. If your unit was permitted, the fasteners used must match what the engineering letter specifies. 1800Awnings sells a matched Installation Fastener kit for $50 and signed-and-sealed engineering at $350 (standard) or $500 (larger or multi-unit commercial).
2. Check flashing and gutters. G Series canopies have an integrated G-Gutter; clear leaves and debris so wind-driven rain drains rather than pools.
3. Inspect welds and powder coat for corrosion at the wall plate, especially on waterfront homes with salt exposure.
4. Bahama shutters: confirm the top hinge and support arms are tight. Decorative aluminum Bahama shutters like the ClearView, DecoView, FauxView, and ShadeView add shade and curb appeal; if you need code-approved opening protection, ask your building department what documentation is required before relying on any shutter for that purpose.
5. Clear the area underneath. Patio furniture, grills, and planters become projectiles that damage the canopy from below.

What Storm-Protection Add-Ons Cost at 1800Awnings

Prices are pulled from the live 1800Awnings catalog at publication and can change; the linked product pages are always current. Wind sensor automation on Apollo, Zeus, and Hercules is quoted with the awning.

Who Should Follow This Checklist?

• Tampa Bay and Gulf Coast homeowners with any retractable awning, especially west-facing or waterfront patios that take the full brunt of storm outflow.
• Snowbirds and second-home owners who are out of state during peak season and need automatic retraction they do not have to think about.
• Restaurants, hotels, and storefronts running Hercules or Helios spans up to 40 feet, where a single unattended awning is a five-figure loss.
• Property managers and HOAs who need a written pre-storm procedure for every awning, screen, and pergola on the property.
• New buyers deciding between a retractable fabric awning and a permanent aluminum canopy and wanting to understand what each will ask of them every September.

How to Order Storm-Ready Shade From 1800Awnings

1. Choose your product on 1800Awnings.com: retractable fabric (Sunflexx, Apollo, Zeus, Hercules, Helios) or permanent aluminum (G Series, Standing Seam, Bahama ClearView).
2. Select your width and projection from the size chart.
3. Add the storm option: the Sunflexx Wind & Rain Package, a Somfy sensor from Helios Options, a CMO motor from Sunscape Motor Options, or engineering and fasteners from Extra Services.
4. Check out. Orders ship factory-direct from Tampa with free shipping to all 48 contiguous states.
5. Call 1-800-AWNINGS (296-4647) if you need a wind-zone or permit question answered before you buy.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is hurricane season awning prep?
It is the pre-storm routine of retracting every retractable awning and screen, cutting power to the motors, verifying anchors on permanent aluminum canopies and shutters, and clearing the patio. For Florida, the routine should be ready by August and repeated for every tropical storm watch through November 30.

Can a retractable awning survive a hurricane?
Only if it is retracted. Fabric retractable awnings from Eastern Awning Systems and Shademaker are engineered for everyday Florida gusts, and the Sunflexx carries certified wind-load ratings, but no lateral-arm awning is designed to remain extended in tropical-storm or hurricane winds. Retract fully and disconnect power before the storm arrives.

How does an awning wind sensor work?
A sensor such as the Somfy Eolis 3D detects wind-induced movement of the awning and signals the motor to retract when it crosses a set threshold. It works with no one home and no monitoring. It is meant for squalls and afternoon storms; it is not a reason to leave the awning extended when a named storm is forecast.

How much does it cost to make my awning storm-ready?
A Somfy wind sensor for the Helios is $308. The Sunflexx Wind & Rain Package runs $730 to $2,314 depending on frame width. An engineering letter for a fixed canopy or shutter is $350 or $500, and the matched fastener kit is $50. These add-ons cost a fraction of the $3,000 to $10,000 awning they protect.

Can I retract a motorized awning if the power is out?
Yes, if your motor has a manual override. The Somfy 535A2, 550R2, and 660 RTS CMO motors sold for the Sunscape all include a Compact Manual Override crank. If your motor lacks an override, retract it as soon as the watch is issued, before outages begin.

Do I need to take down my aluminum canopy or Bahama shutters before a hurricane?
No. Welded aluminum canopies, standing seam awnings, and Bahama shutters from 1800Awnings are permanent attachments engineered to Florida Building Code wind loads for your address when installed with the specified fasteners. Prep means verifying anchors, hinges, and drainage, not removal.

Are Bahama shutters hurricane shutters?
Not automatically. The ClearView, DecoView, FauxView, and ShadeView are powder-coated aluminum shade and architectural shutters. If your goal is code-approved opening protection for insurance or permitting, confirm with your county building department what product documentation is accepted before relying on any shutter for that purpose.

What should I do with a Renson louvered pergola before a storm?
Close the louvers, retract any Skye blades or Lapure fabric roof, and roll up the Fixscreen side screens. Closed-roof ratings are 75 mph for most models and roughly 100 mph with Miami-Dade approval for the Camargue, and every permitted Florida installation is engineered to the local wind zone.

Bottom Line

Hurricane season awning prep in Florida comes down to one rule for each category. Retractable fabric awnings and screens, including the Sunflexx, Sunscape, Apollo, Zeus, Hercules, Helios, and Titan, are built to retract before severe weather and to stay stowed until it passes. Wind sensors handle the everyday squalls you cannot be home for, the Sunflexx Wind & Rain Package steadies the awning on breezy days while you are there, and manual-override motors let you close up when the power is already out. Permanent aluminum canopies, standing seam awnings, and Bahama shutters stay in place and rely on product-specific engineering and correctly matched fasteners.

Because 1800Awnings builds its aluminum products in Tampa and supplies its retractables, built by Eastern Awning Systems and Shademaker, from its Tampa headquarters for this exact environment, every product ships with the option of the engineering, hardware, and automation it needs to get through September. Set the checklist now, add the sensor or fastener kit you have been putting off, and your shade will still be there on the first clear morning after the storm.

Ready to storm-proof your shade? Shop the full lineup at 1800Awnings.com, or call 1-800-AWNINGS (296-4647) to talk through wind zones, sensors, and engineering for your address.

Written by Corey Courtright | 1800Awnings.com | Tampa, FL