June 1 is the first day of hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean, the official start of a six-month period that can bring some of the most destructive and costly natural disasters to American shores.
Here’s what you need to know to be prepared.
Forecasters think this will be an above-average season.
In an average season, there are 14 named storms, including seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes. A storm gets a name when its winds reach 39 miles per hour. It becomes a hurricane if it reaches 74 m.p.h., and a major hurricane — Category 3 or above — at 111 m.p.h.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the parent agency of the National Weather Service, said that it expected between 13 and 19 named storms in 2025. Six to 10 of them could become hurricanes, and three to five of those could become major hurricanes. NOAA’s forecast was in line with other predictions, like one from Colorado State University in April.
NOAA will issue an updated forecast in August, just before the season’s activity typically peaks.
A lot of factors go into making a seasonal forecast, and it can be wrong. But as the chart below shows, the predictions have generally grown more accurate over the last 20 years.
Is that better or worse than last year?
That will depend on how many hurricanes there are, how many hit land and what happens when they do. And there is a consensus among scientists that hurricanes are becoming more powerful because of climate change.
In 2024, there were 18 named storms in the Atlantic basin (in line with NOAA’s prediction of 17 to 25, which was also above average), and five of them made landfall in the United States as hurricanes: Beryl, Debby, Francine, Helene and Milton. Helene, a Category 4 at landfall, and Milton, a Category 3, combined for an estimated $100 billion in damage.
What are this year’s hurricane names?
The World Meteorological Organization is responsible for naming hurricanes, and it rotates through a list every six years, retiring a name when a storm causes significant damage.
This year’s names are: Andrea, Barry, Chantal, Dexter, Erin, Fernand, Gabrielle, Humberto, Imelda, Jerry, Karen, Lorenzo, Melissa, Nestor, Olga, Pablo, Rebekah, Sebastien, Tanya, Van and Wendy. (Dexter is new, replacing Dorian, which battered the Bahamas the last time these names were used, in 2019.)
Three of last year’s names, Beryl, Helene and Milton were retired.
What do federal staffing cuts mean for the storm forecasts and recovery efforts?
It’s hard to know at this point. Experts and former Weather Service meteorologists have expressed concern that cuts could affect how the country handles a major storm.
What is clear is that the Trump administration has begun dismantling much of the federal apparatus for forecasting extreme weather and responding to it.
Long-term research into climate data is on the chopping block, and NOAA has lost a significant number of staff. The Weather Service has lost nearly 600 people to layoffs or retirements. Some forecasting offices no longer have enough people to monitor the forecast overnight, and the Weather Service has said it is preparing for “degraded operations.”
The Department of Government Efficiency, the cost-cutting initiative led by Elon Musk, has ordered staffing cuts at many of the agencies that typically have been responsible for assisting with natural disasters.
The Times reported in May that the Federal Emergency Management Agency had lost about a quarter of its full-time staff, including one-fifth of the coordinating officers who manage responses to large-scale disasters. Despite the cuts, Kristi Noem, the Department of Homeland Security secretary, said the agency was prepared to face the season.
What about storms in the Pacific?
There are two hurricane seasons that affect the United States: the Atlantic and the Pacific. Atlantic storms generally pose a greater threat to land, which is why you’re likely to hear about them more often. Sunday is the start of the Atlantic season, but the Pacific season began on May 15, and its first storm, Alvin, formed last week. Both seasons run until Nov. 30.
How can I prepare for hurricane season?
It’s a lot easier to plan what you’ll do long before a storm arrives. The team at Wirecutter has pulled together suggestions for supplies to gather before you need them. Here are tips on what to put together in a go bag to have ready. If you have pets, it’s a good idea to think about how you would take care of them in an emergency, too.
You can also sign up for The Times’s extreme weather emails, which are sent when a forecast is becoming dangerous.
Erin McCann is the senior editor for The Times’s weather team. She is based in San Francisco.
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