For residents and business owners in commercial, office space, warehouses and other communities across Boca Raton and South Florida, this time of year begins an annual habit of closely watching the calendar and the tropics as the Atlantic hurricane season approaches.

This year more than previous years, the Internet, social media and smartphone apps promise to change the way storms are forecast – and news and forecasts are delivered to home and business owners across the region. With memories of Hurricane Wilma’s Boca Raton and Palm Beach County strike (in the image) still in mind, business owners and residents know preparation is an ongoing process.

According to the Sun-Sentinel, social media outreach will be handled in the county from Palm Beach County’s Emergency Operations Center. County officials will use Facebook and Twitter to transmit important updates regarding shelter operations, road closings and other storm-related updates.

This June, just in time for the arrival of hurricane season, Palm Beach County plans to release an improved version of its storm response smartphone app, called PBC DART. The app provides storm preparation tips and allows users to determine whether they are in an evacuation zone and if so, where they can find county emergency shelters. After a storm passes, the app will list open hardware and grocery stores.

Other apps include the American Red Cross Hurricane Tracker. Downloading the app is easy. From your smartphone, call **REDCROSS (**73327677); the organization will send a link to download the hurricane tracking app to an iPhone or Android device. The app also can be downloaded from iTunes or Google Play app stores.

CNET offered a list of top severe weather alert apps and services.

The  National Hurricane Center in Coral Gables has a robust mobile site ideal for tracking storms from a smartphone. The Federal Emergency Management Agency offers various apps and services for disaster preparation.

CNN recently listed a half-dozen apps (including the Red Cross app).