Tropical Storm Forecasters, Radar, and Colorado State University's Atmospheric and Software Model estimate that there are 17 named storms, including nine hurricanes and four major hurricanes, which will appear during this year's hurricane season.
The four are expected to be the strongest of the 2025 hurricane season, which is a Category 3, 4 or 5 storm on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale. A Category 3 storm is a storm with sustained winds of 180 km/h to 208 km/h, enough to cause tanal damage.
A Category 4 storm has sustained winds of 210 km/h to 250 km/h, and the most catastrophic Category 5 storm can have winds of 252 km/h or more.
The Colorado State University's early season forecast bulletin released on January 3 stated that this year's storm activity is expected to be about 125% higher than the average for the 1991-2020 storm season. One of the studys authors, Levi Silvers told CBS News that this is a significant increase, but lower than the forecast for 2024 activity, which was around 130%.
Warm sea surface temperatures are a major factor leading to higher-than-average storm forecasts this year.
The forecasts of the researchers admit that there is still "significant uncertainty" about the phase of the El Nino - Southern Oscillation cycle, or ENSO.
A weak La Nina is currently appearing in this tropical Pacific region, but Colorado State University researchers predict that neutral ENSO conditions will prevail in the next few months. The absence of an El Nino phenomenon, which is accompanied by unfavorable conditions for storm activity, is likely to mean a more intense storm season.
The Atlantic hurricane season began on June 1 and ends on November 30. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), scientists determine this time frame as the peak of storm activity in the Atlantic.
According to the system managed by the World Meteorological Organization, storms will be named when they reach tropical storm strength, with sustained winds of at least 62 km/h. When winds reach 120 km/h, the storm will become a typhoon.
The list of typhoon names for each season is determined in advance. With the 2025 typhoon season, the first named storm of the year is Andrea, followed by Barry, Chantal, Dexter, Erin, Ferdinand, Gabrielle and ending with Wendy.
If there are still more tropical storms after all 21 names on the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season list are used, there will be an additional list with 21 other names.
The Atlantic hurricane season began on June 1, but some organizations have released early forecasts. Last week, AccuWeather predicted 13 to 18 named storms, including three to five major storms with Category 3 or higher intensity. AccuWeather said that this year's hurricane season could be similar to 2024, one of the most intense and costly on record.
