The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season has officially ended, closing out a year of unusual extremes. This season saw 13 named storms, including five hurricanes and four major hurricanes, slightly below average in number but remarkable in intensity. Three Category 5 hurricanes—Erin, Humberto, and Melissa—accounted for over 70 percent of the season’s total storm energy, making 2025 one of the most powerful in recent history. Hurricane Melissa, the final storm of the season, struck southwestern Jamaica on October 28 as a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane, with winds of 295 kilometers per hour and one of the lowest recorded pressures at landfall anywhere in the world. Earlier in the season, Hurricane Erin crossed the Atlantic as a Category 5, and Hurricane Humberto caused severe coastal damage in North Carolina. Experts also noted unusual events, such as Subtropical Storm Karen forming unusually far north, and long stretches of calm interrupted by rapid intensification of storms. The United Nations’ World Meteorological Organization is expected to retire Melissa from the hurricane name list, and preparations are already under way for the 2026 season, which begins on June 1 with the names Arthur, Bertha, and Cristobal.
