Hurricane season begins

It is here once again.

The 2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season officially begins on Sunday, June 1 with hurricane forecaster from both the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Colorado State University predicting an above-average season.

NOAA is forecasting 13-19 named storms, 6-10 hurricanes, and 3-5 major hurricanes. Colorado State University is forecasting 17 named storms, 9 hurricanes, and 4 major hurricanes.

June is not traditionally the most active month for the emergence of named storms, yielding 25 such storms since 2004. The most active period for the hurricane season is typically late August through mid-September.

Meteorologists and hurricane experts predict peak hurricane season based on previous storms dating back to the mid-1800′s. Water temperature is one of the many tools meteorologists use to forecast storms in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

The NOAA said there are several factors that favor the development of tropical cyclones this year including higher-than-average ocean temperatures, forecasts for weak wind shear, and the potential for higher activity from the West African Monsoon, a primary starting point for Atlantic hurricanes.

With more storms or hurricane predicted, the NOAA has stressed the importance of preparedness.

“This outlook is a call to action: be prepared. Take proactive steps now to make a plan and gather supplies to ensure you’re ready before a storm threatens,” the agency’s director, Ken Graham, said.

On the first day of the season there is some good news with the National Hurricane Center saying no tropical activity is expected over the next 7 days.

In 2024, the Atlantic basin saw 18 named storms (winds of 39 mph or greater). Eleven of those were hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or greater) and five intensified to major hurricanes (winds of 111 mph or greater).

Dominica was spared from the landfall of a major hurricane or storm last year but Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines were not so lucky. Hurricane Beryl, which was the earliest Atlantic basin Category-5 hurricane on record, hit Grenada directly as a Category 4 hurricane while St Vincent and the Grenadines suffered major impacts.

Beryl went on to create devastation as it passed near Jamaica, the Cayman Islands before moving towards the East coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. The hurricane made landfall in the United States of America on July 8, 2024.