Tropical Storm Katrina didn't attain hurricane status until just before hitting South Florida Thursday night. Yet at least six people died, more than a million homes and businesses lost power and serious flooding occurred as a result of the mere "Category 1" hurricane. The lesson for coastal residents, including Lowcountry residents, is clear: Storms don't have to reach "major" status to inflict major damage.

As Florida state meteorologist Ben Nelson told The Associated Press Friday morning: "Maybe we can get rid of the phrase 'minimal hurricane.' There is no such thing as a minimal hurricane."

There's also no such thing as a totally predictable hurricane. Katrina moved across Florida, briefly winding back down to tropical-storm strength before gaining steam in the Gulf of Mexico Friday, intensifying to Category 2 status as forecasters projected it to next strike land somewhere between the Florida Panhandle and Louisiana early next week. Our state could also feel the effects of Katrina in the form of heavy rains, possibly as soon as Monday.

Eventually, our coast is bound to catch more than a glancing blow from a hurricane. While we've been relatively fortunate on that front over the past few years, this has been an unusually busy hurricane year. Katrina is the 11th named storm of the Atlantic season, which is seven more than the typical number by this date.

Early this month, the National Weather Service, which had predicted 12 to 15 tropical storms for the season, with seven to nine reaching hurricane power, raised that to 18 to 21 storms with nine to 11 becoming hurricanes. By that expert projection, there still will be from seven to 10 more storms this summer. And as last year's experience here, and this week's experience in Florida, have shown, even a storm of near or just barely hurricane strength can become a deadly menace.

So review your hurricane plan, and realize that improved evacuation procedures by state officials, responding to the 1999 Hurricane Floyd evacuation mess, won't make fleeing easy. Timely exits are essential. Though our coast's population has grown enormously since then, the number of roads has not.

And though Katrina was classified as a "minimal hurricane" when it hit the Sunshine State Thursday night, the damage it caused was not.