With long-range forecasters predicting above-average activity this hurricane season, local authorities are advising folks to plan to take advantage of Virginia’s Hurricane Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday.

AccuWeather.com is predicting 16 named tropical storms, eight hurricanes and four major hurricanes for the Atlantic in 2013.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the average number of named tropical storms is 12.

While the entire East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico are at risk, it is “way too early” to pinpoint exactly where storms are likely to hit, said Dan Kottlowski, AccuWeather.com’s lead hurricane forecaster.

But these days, he said, “Technology gives us much better information, which allows us to give people advance notice five to seven days out.”

Capt. Jim Judkins, Suffolk Emergency Management Coordinator, has outlined a range of useful items folks can purchase tax-free from May 25 to May 31 during a statewide sales tax holiday.

For $60 or less, there’s artificial ice, blue ice, ice packs or reusable ice; batteries, excluding car or boat batteries; portable, self-powered light sources, such as flashlights, lanterns and glow sticks; first aid kits; cellphone chargers and weather radios, NOAA radios and portable self-powered radios, including with electrical power capability.

Other covered items include bottled water; two-way radios; manual can openers; tarps, plastic sheeting and plastic drop cloths; bungee cords and rope; ground anchor systems or tie down kits; ratchet straps; duct tape; carbon monoxide and smoke detectors and fire extinguishers; empty gas, propane or diesel fuel tanks or containers, and water storage containers such as buckets, barrels, canteens and coolers.

Covered items with a sales price of $1,000 or less include portable generators and generator power cords, and inverters and inverter power cables.

A complete list of items is at www.tax.virginia.gov.

For more information on hurricane preparedness, contact the City of Suffolk Division of Emergency Management at 514-4536, or visit www.suffolkva.us/em.

Churches, civic organizations and businesses can also get in touch to schedule a program, according to a city news release.

Hurricane season officially begins June 1 but “really begins to pick up” in August, according to Kottlowski, and it continues through October.

“Hampton Roads, if you look back at history, it’s usually August, September, October,” he said.

But “people should still not let their guard down” prior to then, Kottlowski added.

“We advise people to have a plan in place, and now is the best time to do it,” he said. “Where would you evacuate to? How would you prepare your home and property? There’s a lot of waterways and a lot of bridges in Hampton Roads, and if everybody evacuates at the same time, those bridges become clogged.”