NOAA calling for above-average 2025 hurricane season. Here's how many storms to expect
It will be a busy hurricane season if all the predictions come true.
The final piece of the hurricane prediction puzzle was released May 22 as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced it predictions.
NOAA predicts a range of 13 to 19 total named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher). Of those, six to 10 are forecast to become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including three to five major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5, with winds of 111 mph or higher).
A typical year averages about 14 tropical storms, seven of which spin into hurricanes, based on weather records that date from 1991 to 2020.
What do the other hurricane forecasts say?
Colorado State forecasters
Experts at Colorado State University are forecasting:
- Named storms: 17
- Hurricanes: 9
AccuWeather forecast
Forecasters at AccuWeather.com are predicting:
- Named storms: 13 to 18
- Hurricanes: 7 to 10
- Major hurricanes: 3 to 5
- Direct impact on the United States: 3 to 6
When is hurricane season?
Hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. However, hurricanes can occur before and after those dates.
Officials urge preparedness
National Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan touted improvements to forecasting in recent years that have allowed forecasters to better predict the track, intensity and impact of tropical cyclones.
"The strongest hurricanes are the ones that develop the fastest," Brennan said.
That means people in the storm's path often have limited warning, increasing the importance of preparing well before landfall.
What happened during the 2024 hurricane season?
Last year, 18 named storms, 11 hurricanes – five of them major hurricanes – directly impacted the United States.
With more than 400 fatalities, 2024 was the nation's deadliest hurricane season since 2005, Brennan said. It was also the third-costliest on record, after 2017 and 2005.
With a U.S. death toll of at least 241, Hurricane Helene was the continental United States’ deadliest single storm since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, when about 1,400 people died.
Other deadly storms in 2024 included Hurricanes Beryl and Milton, each of which killed over 40 people in the U.S.
What are the hurricane names for 2025?
Here are the hurricane names for the 2025 Atlantic region:
- Andrea
- Barry
- Chantal
- Dexter
- Erin
- Fernand
- Gabrielle
- Humberto
- Imelda
- Jerry
- Karen
- Lorenzo
- Melissa
- Nestor
- Olga
- Pablo
- Rebekah
- Sebastien
- Tanya
- Van
- Wendy