A strong cold front has just swept through Tampa Bay (USA) over the weekend, bringing the daytime temperature down to about 26 degrees Celsius and at night to 16 degrees Celsius - the first sign of autumn. But as the Tampa Bay Times wrote, we cant say that the hurricane season is over.
According to meteorologists, despite drier and cooler weather, storms can still form in October and November. The area of development will then gradually move from off-coast Africa toward the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and the southwest Atlantic.
Mr. Paul Dellegatto - Head of Forecast Team of FOX13 - said that sometimes cold air ditches can be "stuck" for many days, creating conditions for tropical cyclones to form. But in this case, I dont think so, he said.
This year, consecutive cold fronts have caused much of the Atlantic hurricane to deviate toward the ocean rather than make landfall. If this trend continues, this could be the quietest typhoon season in many years, Dellegatto said.
It was the cold air mass over the weekend that helped Jerry change course to the Atlantic Ocean, avoiding the possibility of affecting the US mainland. Maybe the United States wont see any landfall this year, he added.
According to Mike Clay, Head of Forecast Team at Spectrum Bay News 9, the appearance of cold air often signals the end of the hurricane season. In late October, Tampa typically dropped to 10-12 degrees Celsius, while St. Petersburg was inundated with water. Petersburg clearly feels the cold on Halloween.
The last time the United States had such a gentle hurricane season was in 2015. Since then, there has been at least one typhoon making landfall before the end of September - until this year.
However, the 2025 hurricane season is not completely quiet: Hurricane Chantal once made landfall in South Carolina, while Hurricane Barry swept across the Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico), causing heavy rain and deadly flooding in Texas. But overall, most of this year's storms have turned out for the Atlantic, not touching land.
Experts point out many factors:
Subtropical high pressure Bermuda is unusually strong, blowing Sahara dust into the Atlantic, reducing the likelihood of early storm formation.
This high pressure has also become a major navigation mechanism, pushing many storms off the U.S. coast.
The high-altitude jet stream often lowers down to the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, creating strong wind shear that prevents cyclones from developing.
Although the weather may seem calm, meteorologists warn that the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season will only end on November 30. From mid-October onwards, the frequency of storms will decrease sharply, but there may still be one or two late-season cyclones.
As Mr. Dellegatto said: "Cold air is a good sign, but the hurricane season only really ends when the Atlantic cools down."
