It's time to think about hurricane season.
Sure, we're just leaving winter behind in most of the U.S., but some forecasters are pointing to warning signs that indicate it could be a busy year for storms by the time summer arrives.
AccuWeather Inc. released its forecast on March 26. It anticipates a "dynamic" 2025 Atlantic hurricane season with 13-18 named storms, seven to 10 hurricanes and three to five major storms, those classified as Category 3 or higher. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast typically is released closer to the June 1 official start of the Atlantic storm season.
That prediction would be close to the 2024 season that saw 18 named storms, 11 hurricanes and five major storms. Last year was unusual in that it started quick as Beryl formed June 28, becoming a storm that forced some resin plant closures along the Gulf Coast. Storms also caused issues far from landfall, with floods from Hurricane Helene ravaging the Appalachian region. Helene was blamed for 249 deaths, including workers at a Tennessee plastics plant.
"We witnessed tragic examples of just how far inland the impacts from hurricanes and tropical storms can reach. Hurricane Beryl spun up more than 60 tornadoes along its nearly 1,200-mile-long path from the Texas coast to upstate New York," AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva said in a news release. "Hurricane Helene brought catastrophic flash flooding and destructive winds to the mountains of western North Carolina, hundreds of miles inland from where the storm made landfall in Florida."
AccuWeather says water in the Atlantic and Caribbean already are above average, which could fuel storm growth in 2025.
