by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 9:10 AM ET, Wed June 4, 2025
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting a 60 percent chance of an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season this year, forecasting a range of 13 to 19 named storms.
The Atlantic hurricane season began on June 1 and ends November 30, and impacts everywhere from the Gulf of Mexico to the Eastern Seaboard.
Storms are named when they have winds blowing 39 miles per hour or faster; NOAA predicts six to 10 of these named storms will become hurricanes, including three to five of which will become major hurricanes, potentially impacting travel by causing weather delays and threatening destinations from the Caribbean to New York with flooding, wind damage and loss of life.
Last year, the Atlantic hurricane season was also above-average, with 18 named storms, 11 of which became hurricanes, including Hurricanes Beryl, Helene and Milton. Five became major hurricanes, destroying places from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to South Carolina.
NOAA expects the hurricane season to be above normal due to warmer than average ocean temperatures; forecasts for weak wind shear, which is the difference in wind speed over short distances; and higher activity from the West African Monsoon, which typically can create more severe Atlantic hurricanes. Reduced trade winds in the Atlantic Basin could encourage hurricanes to develop.
“As we witnessed last year with significant inland flooding from hurricanes Helene and Debby, the impacts of hurricanes can reach far beyond coastal communities,” said Acting NOAA Administrator Laura Grimm. “NOAA is critical for the delivery of early and accurate forecasts and warnings, and provides the scientific expertise needed to save lives and property.”
Potential Challenges to the 2025 Hurricane Season
While hurricane season is expected to be busy, travelers should be aware that the ability to forecast, track and respond to hurricanes is going to be different this year than in years’ past, due to the Trump Administration’s cuts to FEMA and to NOAA.
According to the Associated Press, NOAA’s 121 field offices have seen at least 20 percent reduction in staff, plus further cuts to regular funding, while FEMA, the administration that responds with critical aid following natural disasters, has seen a one-third reduction in staff and its approach is now turning towards allowing the states to respond to their own disasters. The Trump Administration has repeatedly denied FEMA aid to states.
That being said, it seems that the National Hurricane Center hasn’t lost any employees just yet—though funding cuts mean that their ability to track storms with key tools like weather balloons have been reduced, with some field offices no longer sending up twice daily weather balloons. Artificial intelligence is also being implemented in forecasting for the first time this year.
“Hurricane forecasts, I’m expecting not to be as accurate this year because of that lack of balloon data,″ former NOAA meteorologist Jeff Masters, now at Yale Climate Connections, told AP News.
How Should Travelers Prepare for Hurricane Season?
Travelers should be aware that warnings for strong storms and hurricanes could come later than normal or be less accurate, potentially creating more unpredictability and therefore, more risk to safety.
If they’ll be traveling anywhere within the Atlantic hurricane zone, which includes landlocked regions in the American South and even into states like Pennsylvania, they’re encouraged to monitor local weather forecasts and be prepared for potential weather dangers as the season progresses.
Travel insurance provider, Squaremouth, encourages travelers purchase travel insurance to protect their trip before and during travel, and to purchase it as soon as a trip is booked, as some policies don’t cover weather-related changes or cancellations once a storm is named.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
