The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season is officially above average with a month left to go.
One way to tell is a benchmark called total accumulated cyclone energy, or ACE, a metric that accounts for the cumulative wind speed and strength of all the storms that form in the course of a season. Hurricane Melissa’s rampage through the Caribbean, as a record-breaking Category 5 storm, has officially pushed this year’s ACE above the average mark by the National Weather Service’s definition.
Meanwhile, the 2025 season is above average in terms of its total number of major hurricanes, or storms achieving Category 3 or higher. That’s notable because the season right now is about average in terms of the total number of named storms — and slightly below average in terms of the number of hurricanes.
Those metrics, of course, could shift before the season officially closes on Nov. 30. Scientists say there’s still time for more storms to form over the next few weeks, especially with unusually warm water temperatures persisting in the Caribbean.
