Looking back at the 2025 hurricane season

Floridians are breathing a sigh of relief after the 2025 hurricane season. For the first time in 10 years, Florida was NOT hit by a tropical storm or hurricane.

There were a total of 13 named storms, 5 hurricanes and 4 major hurricanes. All four major hurricanes reached at least Category 4 intensity, with three reaching Category 5 intensity: Erin, Humberto and Melissa, the 2nd most Category 5s on record for the Atlantic, trailing only 2005 which had four Category 5 hurricanes.

Erin and Humberto stayed over the open waters of the Atlantic, but Melissa proved monstrous.

Melissa devastated the island nation of Jamaica on October 27 - causing an estimated $6 to $7 Billion USD in damage. Not only was it the strongest hurricane to ever hit Jamaica, it marked one of the strongest ever recorded in the Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf. With sustained winds of 160 knots or 184 mph, Melissa tied as the second strongest on record in terms of wind and third strongest in terms of lowest central pressure, dropping to a central pressure of 892 mb. The storm also caused extensive damage in Cuba and Hispaniola.

No hurricane made landfall in the United States.

Tropical Storm Chantal was the lone tropical storm to hit the East Coast, making landfall near Litchfield Beach, South Carolina early on July 6, causing significant flash flooding in north-central North Carolina as it moved inland.

As for the Gulf, there weren’t any landfalls across the United States’ Gulf Coast.

Tropical Storm Barry developed in the southwestern Gulf in late June and made landfall in eastern Mexico as a depression. Barry was the only storm in the Gulf all season. The last time that happened? 2015.

Despite minimal activity close to home, the season is still considered “above-normal”. Why? ACE! Or Accumulated Cyclone Energy which measures the combined intensity and duration of named storms and hurricanes occurring during the season.

133 ACE were generated during 2025, 9% above normal, making the season above-normal by NOAA’s definition. 9 out of the past 10 Atlantic hurricane seasons have been either above-normal or extremely active by NOAA’s definition.