(Reuters) -Colorado State University forecasters said on Thursday the upcoming 2025 hurricane season across the Atlantic basin will be above average, with 17 named tropical storms, including nine hurricanes, of which four are predicted to be major.
Warm sea surface temperatures will again fuel the storms in the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean, the researchers of the closely watched forecast said in a statement. During the season, which runs from June 1 to November 30, winds across the southern United States will be favorable to storm formation.
The scientists predicted activity to be about 125% above the average for tropical storms between 1991 and 2020. The 2024 hurricane season saw tropical storm activity at 130% above the average for those years.
There have been an average of 3.2 major hurricanes, with sustained winds over 111 miles per hour (179 kph), 7.2 hurricanes out of 14.4 named tropical storms between 1991 and 2020.
AccuWeather issued its 2025 hurricane season forecast in late March. The private weather service calls for between three and five major hurricanes out of seven to 10 hurricanes from 13-18 named tropical storms.
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issues its hurricane outlook in May.
The 2024 hurricane season was one of the costliest on record. There were five major hurricanes, out of a total of 11 hurricanes from 18 named storms.
The deaths of 427 people were attributed to 2024’s storms and losses totaled $130 billion.