Sunday, June 1 marks the official start to the 2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season. The season is defined from June 1 to Nov. 30, when tropical systems are most likely to form across the Atlantic Ocean, with the peak of the activity in September.
This year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, predicts an above-average season of 13 to 19 named storms, of which six to 10 become hurricanes, including three to five major hurricanes.
Stream Connecticut News for free, 24/7, wherever you are.
WATCH HEREAnother above-average hurricane season is predicted.
Get top local Connecticut stories delivered to you every morning with the News Headlines newsletter.
SIGN UP ENSO Neutral conditions (near-normal sea surface temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific Ocean) and warmer-than-average waters in the Atlantic are expected to combine to produce an above-average season.
It's important to remember that this is a general outlook for the entire Atlantic Ocean basin, and does not specifically pinpoint where hurricanes will strike.
Ken Graham, the director of the National Weather Service, says we must be alert of water, including inland flooding, storm surge and rip currents,
"The water is really the biggest killer in these things [hurricanes] with fatalities being the highest over the years. I’ve seen so many cases where the inland flooding causes more fatalities than on the coast,” Graham added. "We’ve done so much work with storm surge, we’re actually losing more people to rip currents than we are storm surge.”
When asked if the agency is ready for the hurricane season after recent cuts to NOAA, chief of staff Laura Grimm replied, “We are fully staffed at the National Hurricane Center and ready to go. We are really making this a top priority for this administration, for NOAA, for the Department of Commerce. So we are very supportive of our national weather staff.”
Now is the time to prepare for any potential tropical system by assessing your hazards, building your storm preparedness kit, and making a plan.
We will get you through every storm with our team of Stormtracker Meteorologists here on NBC Connecticut.
