The Guardian's latest hurricane report said that US government scientists on May 22 predicted that the 2025 hurricane season will be more intense than usual, producing 3 to 5 major storms with sustained winds of at least 179 km/h.
The Atlantic hurricane season began on June 1 and is expected to see 13 to 19 named tropical storms, with winds of at least 63 km/h, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). Of these storms, 6 to 10 are expected to strengthen into hurricanes with winds of 119 km/h or more.
"Water sea surface temperatures are probably the main cause of this phenomenon," said Ken Graham, director of the National Weather Service.
According to CBS News' latest hurricane report, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts a 60% chance of a more intense hurricane season than normal, a 30% chance of a "near-normal" hurricane season, and a 10% chance of "less than normal."
Private forecasters have also issued similar forecasts for this year's hurricane season, which runs through November 30.
In early April, forecasters at Colorado State University, USA, said that the 2025 hurricane season across the Atlantic basin will be above average, with 17 named tropical storms, including nine hurricanes, including four major hurricanes.
AccuWeather released its 2025 hurricane season forecast for late March. The private weather agency expects three to five of the seven to nine typhoons to be on the list, with a total of 13 to 18 tropical storms named.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, with the strongest activity typically occurring between mid-August and mid-October.
From 1991 to 2020, an average of 14.4 named tropical storms were named annually in the Atlantic, including an average of 3.2 major hurricanes out of 7.2 hurricanes.
On average, three of those will become major storms, or Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale, with sustained wind speeds of at least 178 km/h. A super typhoon of level 5, the highest level, with winds of at least 252 km/h.
Each Atlantic hurricane season since 2015 has seen an above-average number of storms. Last year, NOAA predicted an above-average number of named storms, with between 8 and 13.
The 2024 typhoon season has recorded 11 typhoons, of which 5 have strengthened into major typhoons. There are five hurricanes making landfall in the US during the 2024 hurricane season, with two super storms, Helene and Milton. NOAA's acting leader Laura Grimm said the 2024 hurricane forecast is "completely accurate" within NOAA's forecast range.
