What is "hurcon"

Hurricane Condition (HURCON) is an alert scale used by the United States Armed Forces, primarily the United States Air Force, to indicate the state of emergency or preparedness for an approaching hurricane. This designation is especially important to installations in the southern Atlantic region, as it is most affected by hurricanes. A HURCON will typically be issued 72 hours or longer before a hurricane is expected to strike the installation.

As of 2015, USAF bases use the Tropical Cyclone Condition of Readiness (TC-COR) scale for HURCON instead of the older 4 condition scale. The historic scale consisted of 4 conditions, from Secure to Alert. As with civilian alerts, buildings may be boarded up and personnel evacuated. In addition; aircraft, ships, equipment, and other assets will be relocated, tied down, bunkered, or otherwise secured. The contraction was chosen in line with other military terminology in use like DEFCON and FPCON to communicate hazardous conditions.