2025 Hurricane Season Could Pack A Real Punch For The Atlantic

The Atlantic Hurricane season begins June 1 and forecasters at NOAA are sharing their outlook for the upcoming months. Utilizing new tools and technology, they feel they're prepared for the hurricane season better than ever.

The outlook from NOAA predicts that the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season will be an active one, explaining that their expectation for the number of named storms, hurricanes and major hurricanes is higher than the average year's number of each type of storm.

In an average year, the Atlantic basin usually sees 14 named storms, with 7 of them becoming hurricanes and 3 reaching major hurricane strength. As you can see in their forecast for the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, NOAA predicts 13-19 named storms, 6-10 hurricanes and 3-5 of them becoming major hurricanes.

Why is NOAA predicting so many more storms than average in 2025?

So many factors affect the development of tropical storms, some of which become hurricanes. This year, the region of the ocean used to determine if the temperatures are higher or lower than average are in the average range. What all that means is that this year forecasters see ENSO neutral conditions, or no El Niño or La Niña conditions. NOAA forecasters also expect wind shear to be lower than normal, giving tropical storm systems more chance to strengthen without being ripped apart by wind. NOAA also mentions that the West African monsoon season is expected to be more active, and that is the starting region for tropical development.

One other factor that was mentioned in the NOAA forecast was that the West African monsoon season may see a move to the north which in the past has corresponded to some of the strongest and longest lasting Atlantic storms. Their forecast doesn't predict landfall locations, but is provided to give some advance warning to prepare for a busy hurricane season.