With just days to go before the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has released its predictions for 2025 and is calling for an "above-normal" season.
NOAA is forecasting 13-19 named storms, 6-10 hurricanes and 3-5 major hurricanes in the official outlook that was announced at a news conference Thursday morning. A major hurricane is a storm with category 3 intensity or greater.
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As expected, the agency called for a 60% chance of an above-average season, citing warm sea surface temperatures and neural El Nino Southern Oscillation as the main drivers. Additionally, an enhanced West African Monsoon season could provide more seedlings for tropical development.
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The hurricane season officially begins June 1 and ends November 30.
Colorado State University forecasters released their predictions for the upcoming season last month and are calling for an "above-average" season with 17 named storms, 9 hurricanes and 4 major hurricanes.
Hurricane Season
The NBC 6 First Alert Weather team guides you through hurricane season
The CSU researchers said above-average subtropical eastern Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea surface temperatures are a primary factor for their predictions.
An average hurricane season generally produces 14 named storms and 7 hurricanes, with 3 major hurricanes.
While the driving factors leaning towards an above-average season stand out, the outlook does not offer guidance on where or when storms will form or ultimately track. Rather, the forecast speaks of the season’s total activity across the Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico.
Seasonal outlooks provide an overview of anticipated conditions and outcomes across a large area but should not be used as guidance for what the season will look like for South Florida and the Keys. Annual preparations should always be made as you review your hurricane plan.
The 2024 season was extremely busy, with 11 hurricanes and 18 named storms. Three 2024 storms names -- Beryl, Helene and Milton -- were retired after causing multiples deaths and heavy damages.
The list of hurricane names for the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season is:
- Andrea
- Barry
- Chantal
- Dexter
- Erin
- Fernand
- Gabrielle
- Humberto
- Imelda
- Jerry
- Karen
- Lorenzo
- Melissa
- Nestor
- Olga
- Pablo
- Rebekah
- Sebastien
- Tanya
- Van
- Wendy
