‘Above average’ Atlantic hurricane season forecast for 2025
US weather experts are warning that the 2025 hurricane season could have an ‘above average’ number of storms.
In the latest official forecast just released, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts that the 2025 storm season could have between 13-19 named storms, of which six to ten could be hurricanes and three to five of those could be major hurricanes of Category 3 (111mph) or above.
Hurricanes can be deadly and devastate communities so each year US forecasters try to predict what the season ahead will be like, helping those in hurricane-prone areas to prepare early, stay across warnings and hopefully prevent loss of life.
The North Atlantic Hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November.
This forecast will be updated as the season unfolds.
The 2024 hurricane season, overall, was correctly predicted by NOAA to be more active than average. There were 18 named storms, 11 hurricanes and five major hurricanes; it was also the first in five years to feature multiple Category 5 hurricanes (the highest level).
Yet it also defied expectations at times, with stretches of powerful storms interspersed with weeks of relative calm.
It started as a record breaker. In June and July, Hurricane Beryl devastated parts of the Caribbean and broke records as the earliest storm ever to reach Category 5 – an intensity usually seen during peak season.
It brought death and destruction to parts of the Caribbean, areas of Mexico and the Gulf coast of the US.
Whilst concern grew about what might be to come, the season then became unusually quiet midway through with the the most prolonged lull in hurricane numbers for around 50 years.
