Back in May, our WRAL Severe Weather Team released our forecast for a “near-average” hurricane season for 2025. At the time, we pointed to a mix of sea-surface temperature patterns and the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions in the equatorial Pacific as the key drivers. (You can see the original forecast here.)
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We called for 13-15 named storms, 6-8 hurricanes and 2-3 major hurricanes.
So how close did we get? Pretty close.
- Number of named storms: 13
- Number of hurricanes: Five
- Number of major hurricanes: Four
Overall, the totals landed in the near-normal category.
While the Atlantic hurricane season runs through Nov. 30, November is typically the least active month due to increasing wind shear.
What really made the 2025 season stand out was how few storms impacted land. Here in North Carolina, Chantal brought flooding and the Caribbean endured major effects from Melissa. But thanks largely to a series of timely dips in the jet stream, most storms curved out to sea. Even the Gulf Coast was spared. (More on why that happened below)
Next up: The WRAL winter weather outlook! Tune in 6 p.m. on Nov. 24.