Hurricane Outlook For 2025 Season

WAUSAU, Wis (WXCO) – The NOAA released a forecast that projects a good chance for above-normal activity with a handful of major storms this hurricane season.

The hurricane season starts on Sunday, June 1 and runs through November 30. The National Oceanic Atmospheric and Administration predicts a 60 percent chance of an above-normal season to strike.

NOAA forecasts that there will be 13 to 19 named storms with winds north of 39 mph. Six to 10 of those storms are expected to become hurricanes with winds of at least 74 mph. As for the major destructive hurricanes of Cat 3, 4 or 5 in strength, NOAA predicts we will see three to five this season with winds over 111 mph.

We are still in an ENSO-neutral phase, which means we are not in an El Nino pattern or a La Nina. This means the trade winds are weaker, with still well above normal ocean water temperatures. Pairing the higher heat with the weak wind shear, it’ll make it much easier for tropical storms to form. Plus, it’s forecasted that there will be higher activity with the west African monsoon.

NOAA says they are 70 percent confident in their forecast for this hurricane season.

Typical hurricanes are about 300 miles wide but can vary considerably in size. The eye at a hurricane’s center is a relatively calm, clear area about 20 to 40 miles across. The eyewall surrounding the eye is made of dense clouds that maintain the highest winds of the entire storm.

The storm’s outer rainbands contain dense bands of thunderstorms that could produce tornadoes. Right now, the Atlantic is calm and collected.

However, the Pacific is in the midst of their season, which started May 15, and there’s a disturbance already forming.