It’s time to say hello to the dreaded hurricane season, even though we really don’t want to. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has just released its 2025 Atlantic hurricane season outlook and, as it turns out, it’s looking to be a more active one than the average season.
Forecasters at the NOAA Climate Prediction Center predict a 60% chance of an above-normal season. There’s only a 30% chance the season will be near-normal and a mere 10% chance the season will be below-normal.
A total of 13 to 19 named storms, or storms with winds of 39 mph or higher, are forecast for the season. Of those, 6 to 10 are predicted to become hurricanes and 3 to 5 of those to be major hurricanes. Major hurricanes are categorized as 3, 4 or 5 with winds of 111 mph or more.
These ranges are on the higher side of the 30-year average for both hurricanes and storms, according to The Weather Channel.
Atlantic hurricane season officially begins on June 1 and ends on November 30, with most activity occurring between mid-August and mid-October. The reason for the above-normal season appears to be a variety of factors, including near-record warm ocean temperatures and reduced wind shear in the Atlantic. Additionally, this hurricane season has the potential for higher activity from the West African monsoon, which can eventually form into tropical systems in the Atlantic.
Only time will tell what’s to come, but it’s important to always be prepared for severe weather regardless of what seasonal outlooks say. For information on how to plan and prepare for hurricane season, visit noaa.gov/hurricane-prep.