A look back at the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season » Yale Climate Connections

by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson, Yale Climate Connections
December 1, 2025

With the calendar turned to December, we now close the book on the thoroughly weird Atlantic hurricane season of 2025. There were 13 named storms, five hurricanes, and four major hurricanes. An average season has 14 named storms, seven hurricanes, and three major hurricanes. The season’s accumulated cyclone energy, or ACE, reached 133 (7% above average).

A remarkable three Cat 5s for the Atlantic in 2025

Over the past century, only 3% of Atlantic tropical cyclones have reached Category 5 intensity. But extraordinarily, three of 2025’s 13 named storms (23%) reached Category 5 strength: Erin (Aug. 16), Humberto (Sep. 27), and Melissa (Oct. 27). This makes 2025 only the second year more than two Cat 5s have been observed in the Atlantic. The record: four in 2005, when Emily, Katrina, Rita, and Wilma all achieved Cat 5 status.

The two-year period 2024-2025 is only the second time that the Atlantic has seen two consecutive years with multiple Cat 5s: 2024 had two Cat 5s, Beryl and Milton. The only other two-year span with multiple Cat 5s was 1932-1933 (hat tip to Jasper Deng for this stat).

Erin underwent extreme rapid intensification and is tied for the fifth-fastest 24-hour increase in maximum sustained winds on record, from 75 mph to 160 mph. Erin also tied for the third-fastest 24-hour pressure drop in the Atlantic basin on record, dropping 83 millibars from 998 mb to 915 mb. Erin brought storm surge and tropical storm conditions to the North Carolina Outer Banks and rough surf and rip currents along the East Coast.

Remarkably, four out of five of this year’s Atlantic hurricanes were Category 4 or 5 storms — the highest percentage ever observed in any hurricane season. Hurricane Gabrielle was a Cat 4, and the year’s only underachieving hurricane was Hurricane Imelda, which topped out as a Cat 2.

Numerous studies over the past 20 years have found that hurricane-strength storms are not becoming more numerous globally, but the fraction of such storms that reach Category 4 or 5 strength is growing and expected to keep growing, so the world is seeing more of these intense tropical cyclones, which tend to be the most deadly and destructive ones.

Historic Hurricane Melissa

The main story of the 2025 hurricane season was Hurricane Melissa. Melissa was tied with the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane in the Florida Keys as the strongest landfalling Atlantic hurricane (by both winds and pressure), with 185 mph (295 km/h) sustained winds and a central pressure of 892 mb, when it hit Jamaica on Oct. 28. (Hurricane Dorian of 2019 also had 185 mph winds when it hit the Bahamas.) Melissa was Earth’s strongest storm of 2025, beating out the Western Pacific’s Typhoon Ragasa (165 mph winds, 910 mb central pressure).

Our Oct. 29 post details the many preliminary records Melissa set. One of these has now been verified. Melissa had highest wind gust ever measured globally by a dropsonde: 252 mph (406 km/h, or 219 kt). The previous record: 248 mph (399 km/h) in 2010’s Typhoon Megi. The peak gust from Melissa was verified by the National Center for Atmospheric Research, where the GPS dropsonde was originally developed. In an email, NCAR senior scientist Holger Vömel reported that winds exceeded the prior record of 111 m/s (248 mph) at 20 measurement points in a layer between about 650 and 860 ft (200 to 260 m) above sea level. Within this layer, the peak gust was 113 m/s (253 mph), which is on par with the world record for the strongest surface-measured wind gust of 253 mph (407 km/h, or 220 kt). That reading was observed by an automated weather station in Tropical Cyclone Olivia on April 10, 1996, at Barrow Island, Australia

According to a rapid attribution study by Climate Central, climate change made Melissa’s winds about 10 mph (16 km/h) stronger, so many of Melissa’s records could not have occurred without a boost from climate change.

This year is the second consecutive year to feature an Atlantic hurricane among the top ten strongest in recorded history for both winds and pressure. Melissa was the third-strongest ever observed by pressure, and tied for second-strongest by winds. Last year, Hurricane Milton peaked with 180 mph (290 km/h) winds and a central pressure of 897 mb on Oct. 7, 2024 in the Gulf of Mexico, making it the sixth-strongest Atlantic hurricane on record (by pressure) and tied for seventh-strongest by winds. Here are the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record by sustained winds:

1. 190 mph (Allen 1980)
2. 185 mph (Melissa 2025, Dorian 2019, Labor Day 1935, Gilbert 1988, Wilma 2005)
7. 180 mph (Milton 2024, Mitch 1998, Rita 2005, Irma 2017)
11. 175 mph (nine storms, including Maria 2017, Katrina 2005, Andrew 1992, Camille 1969)

A severe impact on Jamaica, Haiti, and Cuba

The World Bank is estimating that Melissa will cost $8.8 billion for Jamaica, or 41% of GDP — an extraordinarily severe blow (Fig. 2). Damage estimates for Cuba and Haiti are not yet available, but the hurricane’s impact on those nations is also likely to be a significant fraction of their GDP. The Miami Herald recently reported that “photos and videos coming out of eastern Cuba show undernourished men, women and children dressed in rags, often with no shoes and living in makeshift homes. The images reveal not simply the destruction caused by the powerful storm, but the calamitous effects of the economic crisis gripping the country. Between 2019 and 2024, the island’s gross domestic product decreased by 11%, agriculture declined by 57% and trade by almost 30%.”

The U.S. escapes a hurricane landfall for the first time in 10 years

After nine consecutive years with a landfalling hurricane, and five straight years (2020-2024) with a major hurricane landfall — a record-long streak matched only in 1915-1919 — the U.S. escaped any hurricane landfalls in 2025. With the unprecedented disarray affecting FEMA and NOAA this year, we were extremely fortunate not to be tested by a major hurricane landfall.

On average, three named storms — including one hurricane — typically make a continental U.S. landfall in a given year. But only one tropical storm made a U.S. landfall in 2025: Tropical Storm Chantal, which hit northeastern South Carolina on July 6 with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (80 km/h). Chantal moved slowly into North Carolina, dumping heavy rains in excess of 10 inches (254 mm). Chantal caused flooding that killed three people and did damages of $500 million, according to Gallagher Re.

Favorable steering currents resulting by a persistent trough of low pressure that steered storms approaching the U.S. out to sea are responsible for the lack of U.S. landfalls in 2025, as documented in the Bluesky post by Brian McNoldy (below).

Though they did not make landfall, Hurricane Erin, Hurricane Humberto, and Hurricane Imelda all created huge swells that brought high surf to the U.S. East Coast, triggering the collapse of multiple beachfront homes along the North Carolina Outer Banks. Since Sep. 16, 16 houses along the Outer Banks have collapsed into the ocean, including five in a single day on Sep. 30, when high surf from Hurricane Imelda and Hurricane Humberto was battering the coast.

The other impactful storms of 2025: Imelda and Barry, plus Halong

The only other hurricane to significantly impact land in 2025 was Category 2 Imelda, whose center passed about 20 miles (32 km) south of Bermuda on Oct. 2. Imelda brought heavy rains to the Greater Antilles, the Bahamas, and Bermuda, which killed four people in the Dominican Republic. Aon put total damages from Imelda at less than $100 million.

Tropical Storm Barry hit near Tampico, Mexico, on June 29 with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 km/h). Barry is blamed for eight deaths in Mexico, with total damages in Mexico and Belize estimated at about $32 million. Barry’s remains moved northwards into Texas, contributing to devastating flash floods on July 4 that killed about 140 people, making it the 10^th-deadliest flash flood in U.S. history.

There were also significant U.S. impacts from the remnants of Typhoon Halong, which caused terrible damage and disruption to Native Alaskan communities in southwest Alaska, killing one person and leaving two others missing. After being declared post-tropical, Halong gained new life as a powerful non-tropical system that raced across the Bering Sea before striking the Alaskan coast. The storm surge at Kipnuk reached 6.6 feet over mean higher high water (the typical highest daily tide), which was nearly two feet above the previous record of 4.7 feet set on November 13, 2000. The state of Alaska reported that 208 homes were destroyed and 471 suffered major damage, with a total of 52 communities affected by Halong.

Near record-warm waters helped fuel this year’s hurricanes

As documented by the Washington Post, over 80% of the Atlantic had above-average ocean heat content during the 2025 hurricane season — the third-highest extent on record since records began in 1958, behind only 2023 and 2024. Near-record ocean heat (top 10%) covered almost 40% of the Atlantic basin. “Before 2022, this metric had never been higher than 30 percent, making the recent ascension of ocean heat particularly notable. Instead of churning up cooler waters from below, violent storm winds instead found more warm water beneath the surface, enabling storms to remain or become more intense.”

An active hurricane season in the Eastern Pacific

The 2025 Eastern Pacific hurricane season had 20 named storms, 11 hurricanes, four major hurricanes, and an accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) of 127 (95% of average). In comparison, the long-term averages for the period 1991-2020 were 16.6 named storms, 8.8 hurricanes, 4.6 major hurricanes, and an ACE of 133.

The strongest storm of this year’s Eastern Pacific season, and the only one to make landfall, was Hurricane Erick, which peaked as a Category 4 hurricane with 140 mph winds before making landfall on June 19 in the far western portion of Oaxaca, Mexico, as a Category 3 storm with 125 mph winds. Erick was responsible for one direct fatality. Gallagher Re estimated Erick’s damage at $275 million.

A quiet typhoon season for major storms

As of Nov. 30, the 2025 Northwestern Pacific typhoon season has had 28 named storms, 17 hurricanes, five major typhoons, and an accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) of 187 (65% of average). In comparison, the long-term averages for the year-to-date period from 1991-2020 were 24 named storms, 14.9 typhoons, 8.7 major typhoons, and an ACE of 277. Thus, while the season has had more named storms and typhoons than usual, the strength of this year’s typhoons has been lower than usual. Before its remnants struck Alaska, Typhoon Halong peaked at Category 4 strength.

Typhoon season is probably not quite over; December in the Northwest Pacific averages 1.0 named storms, 0.6 typhoons, 0.4 major typhoons, and an ACE of 13.8.

No major tropical cyclones in the North Indian Ocean in 2025

As of Nov. 30, the 2025 tropical cyclone season in the North Indian Ocean has had five named storms, one hurricane-strength cyclone, no major cyclones, and an accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) of 9.2 (43% of average). In comparison, the long-term averages for the year-to-date period from 1991-2020 were 4.7 named storms, 1.9 hurricane-strength cyclones, 1.0 major cyclones, and an ACE of 21.5.

Looking ahead to the 2026 hurricane season

There is the potential for an El Niño event to form by summer, which would favor lower Atlantic activity, including for the U.S. However, it is unusual to have at least two consecutive years without a hurricane landfall in the United States. It has happened only six times since records began in 1851 — most recently in 2009 and 2010.

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