Fort Lauderdale, FL- Although the official start of the 2013 hurricane season is still a few weeks away, federal and state officials will  meet in Fort Lauderdale Wednesday for their annual ‘hurricane conference.’

Dr. Rick Knabb, the head of the National Hurricane Center, will be joined by leaders from FEMA and the Florida Division of Emergency Management as emergency leaders meet to not only prepare for the season, but discuss lessons learned from Superstorm Sandy.

Forecasters are predicting an active 2013 hurricane season, with an “above average chance for a major hurricane to hit the United States coast or the Caribbean.”