The 2025 typhoon season, which ends on November 30, has 13 named storms, with 5 major storms, including 4 typhoons reaching typhoon level and super typhoons.
The activity level of a typhoon season is also assessed through the Accumulated Energy Index (ACE), reflecting the strength, wind speed and duration of each typhoon. ACE in 2025 will reach 132.9, showing that this is a strong storm season.
Early summer
The 2025 hurricane season began with Tropical Storm Andrea on June 23, a short-lived storm off the Atlantic. At the end of June,hyhyhyne occurred in Campeche Bay, Mexico, becoming the first storm to make landfall, near Tampico.
Shortly thereafter, Typhoon Chantal made landfall in South Carolina on July 6, causing heavy rain and flash flooding in North Carolina. This is the only storm to hit the United States this season, which is unusual. The last time the United States did not see a hurricane was a decade ago.
Super Typhoon Erin
The first typhoon of 2025 appeared in mid-August and immediately became a major storm. On August 16, Erin strengthened into a Category 5 super typhoon with winds of 257 km/h.
Superstorm Erin is special because it rapidly increased in intensity, from a tropical storm to a Category 5 in just about 24 hours.
After that, Humberto and Melissa of this year's hurricane season also strengthened in a similar pattern, both reaching Category 5. 2025 will be the second typhoon season in history with three Category 5 hurricanes.
quiet storm at peak
After Erin, there was an unusually quiet period right at the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season. A report by Colorado State University (CSU) outlines three factors for the sharp decline in typhoon activity: Low atmospheric humidity; Strong wind shear; No thunderstorms from off the coast of West Africa. After this quiet period, two major storms Gabrielle and Humberto have formed.
The forecast for storms is the Bermuda high pressure area. This year's high pressure area is weaker and deviates to the east, pushing storms towards Bermuda and the central Atlantic.
Superstorm Melissa
At the end of October, Shelter in southern Jamaica strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane within 24 hours due to unusually high sea temperatures. After many days of slow moving, causing strong winds and prolonged heavy rain, super typhoon Melissa made landfall in Jamaica on October 28 at level 5 intensity, with winds of 297 km/h.
Superstorm Melissa was the strongest storm ever to hit Jamaica, equal to the record for the strongest storm to hit any place in the Atlantic. Melissa continues to make a second landfall in eastern Cuba as a major storm.
The arrival of Shelter is nearing the end of the 2025 hurricane season, with no other storms forming in November.
The role of climate change
According to research by World Weather Attribution, climate change has increased the likelihood of weather conditions appearing, causing super typhoon Melissa to rapidly increase in intensity.
Climate change does not increase the number of storms globally, but warmer ocean and atmospheric temperatures make storms more intense.
The frequency and severity of rapid intensifications in the Atlantic also tend to increase, as seen in Erin and Melissa. The storm's movement rate also slowed, causing heavier rainfall, as in Melissa.
