AccuWeather hurricane experts are predicting a dynamic and potentially volatile Atlantic hurricane season this year, AccuWeather stated in a media advisory sent to Rigzone by the AccuWeather team on Wednesday.
The AccuWeather 2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season Forecast predicts 13-18 named storms this year, with 7-10 of those storms expected to strengthen into hurricanes, the advisory noted, adding that three to five of those storms are predicted to strengthen into major hurricanes.
AccuWeather highlighted in the advisory that a major hurricane is a Category 3 hurricane or higher on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Category 3 hurricanes have maximum sustained winds of 111-129 miles per hour, the company pointed out in the advisory.
AccuWeather noted in the advisory that its hurricane experts predict that three to six storms can directly impact the U.S. this year. The other tropical storms and hurricanes that form this year could impact Central America, the Caribbean Islands, Bermuda, or they may remain out in the open Atlantic with no impacts to populated areas, the company added.
The organization highlighted in the advisory that five hurricanes and one unnamed subtropical storm made landfall in the U.S. in 2024. AccuWeather experts estimate the total damage and economic loss from tropical impacts in the U.S. last year reached a combined $500 billion, the advisory stated.
“Everyone needs to start planning and preparing for hurricane season,” AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter said in the advisory.
“Climatology, weather patterns, water temperatures, and many other factors all point to yet another active Atlantic hurricane season with more tropical storms and hurricanes forming, compared to the historical average,” he added.
“We expect fewer named storms this year compared to last year. The total number of storms is not truly what defines a hurricane season; it is the impacts to land and populated areas. It only takes one landfall to create a devastating season,” he continued.
The Atlantic hurricane season officially starts on June 1 and runs through November 30, AccuWeather’s media advisory pointed out.
Atlantic weather systems have severely affected oil and gas operations in the Gulf in the past. For example, at its peak, Hurricane Ida shut in 95.65 percent of oil production in the Gulf on August 29, 2021, and 94.47 percent of gas production on August 31, 2021, U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) figures revealed.
The last time the BSEE activated its hurricane response team was back in November 2024, in response to Hurricane Rafael, the organization’s website shows. At its peak, the storm shut in 28.01 percent of oil and 16.83 percent of gas production in the Gulf, the BSEE’s website outlined.
In a statement released on its website on November 25, 2024, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season showcased above average activity, “with a record-breaking ramp up following a peak-season lull”.
The Atlantic basin saw 18 named storms in 2024, the statement noted, adding that 11 of those were hurricanes and that five intensified to major hurricanes. Five hurricanes made landfall in the continental U.S., with two storms making landfall as major hurricanes, NOAA said in the statement.
“The impactful and deadly 2024 hurricane season started off intensely, then relaxed a bit before roaring back,” Matthew Rosencrans, the lead hurricane forecaster at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, a division of NOAA’s National Weather Service, noted in the NOAA statement.
“Several possible factors contributed to the peak season lull in the Atlantic region. The particularly intense winds and rains over Western Africa created an environment that was less hospitable for storm development,” he added.
AccuWeather provides the world’s most sophisticated weather intelligence to make lives simpler, safer, and better, the company states on its site. AccuWeather serves more than 1.5 billion people daily, the company’s latest media advisory notes.
The BSEE works to promote safety, protect the environment, and conserve resources offshore through vigorous regulatory oversight and enforcement, according to its site. The organization is part of the U.S. Department of the Interior.
NOAA, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, states on its site that its mission is “to understand and predict changes in climate, weather, ocean, and coasts, to share that knowledge and information with others, and to conserve and manage coastal and marine ecosystems and resources”.
To contact the author, email andreas.exarheas@rigzone.com
