After a slow start, the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season suddenly exploded with Hurricane Humberto - the third strongest storm and the second Category 5 superstorm of the year.
Meanwhile, Tropical Depression 9 is also increasing in strength, threatening to bring heavy rain and flash flooding to the southeastern coastal areas of the United States.
The latest storm news on September 28 from the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) confirmed that Hurricane Humberto has rapidly intensified, reaching winds of 257 km/h, surpassing the Category 5 storm threshold - the strongest level on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale. Hurricane Humberto is currently currently weaving about 560km north-northeast of the Leeward Islands and is expected to maintain the intensity of a super typhoon for many days to come.
According to the NHC, although it is unlikely to make landfall directly on the US mainland in the next few days, Humberto will still create extremely dangerous high waves and offshore flows. High waves are expected from the Caribbean, Puerto Rico, Bermuda to the East Coast early this week. Some hydrological buoys have recorded waves 3m higher as the center of the storm is still hundreds of kilometers away.
These waves could cause rough seas and death by offshore rushing, the NHC warned.
In parallel with Hurricane Humberto, Tropical Depression 9 is also gradually strengthening as it moves slowly in northwestern Cuba. According to the NHC's storm forecast, on September 29 local time, the depression will strengthen into storm Imelda, possibly even intensifying in the middle of this week.
As Imelda approaches the US mainland, coastal areas from Georgia, the two states of Carolina to the Central Atlantic coast could experience flash flooding, urban flooding and river flooding.
North Carolina Governor Josh Stein declared a state of emergency on September 28 in preparation for heavy rain and flooding risks.
The South Carolina governor has also declared a state of emergency, urging people to closely monitor weather forecasts and proactively prepare for response.
The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season is expected to be more active than average, but it will not really take off until late September. In less than two weeks, the Atlantic has seen three major hurricanes in a row: Hurricane Erin, Hurricane Gabrielle and now Humberto.
According to meteorologist Philip Klotzbach ( Colorado State University), this is the first time since 2015, that the first three storms of the season have reached major hurricane status (level 3 or higher).
Experts warn that record-high sea temperatures of nearly 31 degrees Celsius are providing abundant fuel for storms, making it entirely possible for super typhoons to appear consecutively in October.
