An abandoned vehicle sits in the landscape of Hurricane Helen stabbing near Swananoa, North Carolina, along the Swanano River. Sean Rayford/Getty Images Closed subtitles
June 1 marks the beginning of the Atlantic hurricane season. Forecasters warn that this year could bring another above-average storm. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts that between June 1 and November 30, there will be 13 to 19 named storms, while there will be an average of 14 storms each year from 1991 to 2020.
Higher ocean temperatures will cause more storms because more heat means more fuel active energy, NOAA said in its May forecast.
Experts say that even if they live inland, people should be prepared in advance.
"It only takes a storm near you to make you an active season," said Professor Michael Bell, who leads the tropical cyclone, radar, atmospheric modeling and software team at Colorado State University.
Even storms that do not turn into hurricanes can cause deadly flooding, and experts say water-related hazards lead to most hurricane-related deaths, which are related to hurricanes.
"We now hope that people can take advantage of the opportunity to be best prepared in the coast and inland, where floods, winds and tornadoes have severe impacts, as well as tropical storms or hurricanes inland," said Jon Porter, chief meteorologist at Accuweather, in a video forecast on Friday.
Scientists say climate change means storms are dumping more water and bringing more rain and damage away from the coast.
"Hurricanes can have significant inland effects," Michael Brennan, director of NOAA's National Hurricane Center, said in a press conference on Friday. "It is important to send a message to inland communities, especially in flooded areas, as freshwater flooding has been a significant source of death in recent years."
With this year's hurricane season, the Trump administration focuses on weather and climate research. It launched hundreds of millions of NOAA employees and proposed cutting funding at the agency in 2026, including satellite funding for pollution climate research and cut funding, which provide key data for weather forecasts.
The fired staff told NPR they feared that the cuts would undermine the improvement of hurricane forecasts, even as the storm became increasingly dangerous.
Part of NOAA's National Weather Service lost more than 500 workers through layoffs from the Ministry of Efficiency led by Elon Musk and the departure of those who accepted the government's early retirement.
One of them was Brian Lamarre, an NWS meteorologist in the Tampa Bay area until he retired early in April.
"I don't think the situation is currently sustainable," Lamar told NPR's Scott Simon on May 24.
In May, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said NOAA and NWS are using “standard-of-the-art weather models and state-of-the-art hurricane tracking systems to provide Americans with real-time storm forecasts and warnings.” He added: “Using these models and prediction tools, we have never been prepared for the hurricane season.” NOAA is part of the Department of Commerce.
"We're ready for this place, and that's what I can say, directly it's our preparation and our staff at the National Hurricane Center," NHC's Brennan said Friday. "As we always do, we're ready to meet the needs of the nation's (emergency management) community."
NOAA said six forecasts for 2025 are expected to turn into full-scale hurricanes — winds of 74 miles or higher — three to five could be major hurricanes with winds of 111 miles or more.
This is consistent with forecasts from other forecasters, including Colorado State University, who said in April they expected 17 named storms and nine hurricanes, while Accuweather predicted 13 to 18 named storms and seven to 10 hurricanes.
In 2024, 18 times were called Atlantic Storm, five hurricanes landed in the United States, including Hurricane Helen, hit Hurricane Helen, causing more than 200 people, causing catastrophic flooding in the southeastern United States, Hurricane Milton, Hurricane Milton, and its storm surge, and a tornado in southern Florida caused $34 billion in damage.
The World Meteorological Organization's name of this year is: