Florida may have escaped hurricane landfalls in 2025, but meteorologists caution that the quiet season should not be mistaken for a lasting pattern.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis noted last week in Crystal River that neither Florida nor the continental U.S. saw a hurricane impact this season. While the Atlantic season doesn’t officially end until Nov. 30, no new storms are expected. After several years of damaging landfalls, many residents welcomed the calm.
But experts warn the reprieve is temporary.
Recent Years Tell a Different Story
Between 2022 and 2024, Florida endured six hurricane landfalls — four of them major Category 3 or stronger storms. Crystal River and much of the Gulf Coast suffered repeated damage during the 2024 season alone.
Despite this year’s lack of impact, the underlying hurricane-fueling conditions remain: unusually warm ocean temperatures and a La Niña pattern that weakens wind shear.
The 2025 season produced 13 named storms, including five hurricanes, four of which reached major hurricane strength. Three intensified to Category 5.
Only One U.S. Landfall: A Stroke of Luck
The United States saw just one landfalling system this year — Tropical Storm Chantal, which struck South Carolina in July. The Gulf of Mexico remained unusually quiet.
Meteorologist Mark Wool of the National Weather Service in Tallahassee said part of the season’s outcome simply came down to “luck.” But other atmospheric patterns helped keep storms away from land:
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The subtropical Atlantic ridge shifted eastward, steering storms into the open ocean.
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A persistent eastern U.S. trough helped push systems northward before they reached the coast.
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The rare Fujiwhara effect occurred when Hurricane Humberto’s movement pulled Hurricane Imelda out to sea.
Historically, about one in five hurricane seasons results in no U.S. landfalls, Wool noted. This year fits that pattern — but does not signal reduced future risk.
No Predictive Value for 2026
Wool cautioned that 2025 “has absolutely no bearing whatsoever” on next year’s outlook.
Despite the U.S. seeing little activity, the 2025 season will be remembered for Hurricane Melissa, a devastating Category 5 storm that slammed Jamaica, Cuba, and the Bahamas, killing at least 102 people. Melissa produced a record-breaking wind gust of 252 mph, the highest ever recorded in a tropical cyclone.
Climate Change May Influence Storm Patterns
AccuWeather’s Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter warned that storm behavior is evolving.
He noted that in a warming climate, the Atlantic basin may produce fewer storms overall — but the storms that do form are more likely to intensify rapidly, creating periods of quiet broken up by bursts of extremely powerful hurricanes, much like the last two seasons.