The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season verification reveals a season that defied many expectations. The season produced:
- 13 named storms
- 5 hurricanes
- and 4 intense hurricanes,
- with an Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) index of 133
This is close to the 1991 – 2020 climate norm.
Lower Count, Higher Intensity
Forecasts from all major agencies, including TSR, predicted total storm and hurricane counts higher than what occurred. The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season verification shows that hurricane numbers were consistently over-forecast, even though the ACE index was within about 10 % of predictions.
Despite fewer hurricanes, the season stood out for its high intensity. Three Category 5 hurricanes formed – a rare event only paralleled by the 2005 season — and Hurricane Melissa became one of the strongest ever recorded globally.
Patterns and Anomalies
This year featured long periods of suppressed cyclone activity interrupted by bursts of intense systems. Factors such as elevated sea-level pressure and wind shear limited storm formation during the peak months, while favourable pockets of conditions allowed rapid intensification when systems did develop.
Read the full 2025 seasonal verifcation here, and all the factors which contributed to this unusual intensity.