Why has the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season been so quiet?

The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season has been unusually quiet, with no major storms making landfall in the United States, due to a combination of factors including dry air from the Sahara, a high-pressure system in the Gulf of Mexico, and a shift in the North Atlantic oscillation weather pattern.

What is the North Atlantic oscillation, and how has it affected the 2025 hurricane season?

The North Atlantic oscillation is a pressure pattern in the Atlantic Ocean that helps direct a storm's path. In 2025, this pattern has shifted northward, driving hurricanes away from the US East Coast and Gulf regions, which experts say has contributed to the lack of major landfalls.

Are coastal communities in the clear for the rest of the 2025 hurricane season?

No, experts warn that the threat has not passed, as the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico waters remain warm, leaving the possibility for "homegrown" late-season storms forming close to the coastline, similar to Hurricane Milton in 2024.

Home / Weather / Quiet 2025 Hurricane Season Offers Rare Respite for US Coasts

Quiet 2025 Hurricane Season Offers Rare Respite for US Coasts

15 Oct

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Summary

No major hurricanes made US landfall in 2025 so far
Dry air, high pressure, and shifting weather patterns kept storms away
Experts warn the threat remains, with potential for "homegrown" late-season storms

Quiet 2025 Hurricane Season Offers Rare Respite for US Coasts

In a surprising turn of events, the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season has remained remarkably quiet as of mid-October. For the first time in 10 years, no hurricane has made landfall in the United States through the end of September.

Experts say this is due to a combination of factors working against hurricane formation and movement. The atmosphere has been drier due to an influx of Saharan air, while a high-pressure system in the Gulf of Mexico has made conditions unfavorable for storms. Additionally, a shift in the North Atlantic oscillation, a key weather pattern, has pushed hurricanes away from the US East Coast and Gulf regions.

"There are storms," says Jill Trepanier, a hurricane climatologist at Louisiana State University. "They're just not making landfall." Three major hurricanes, Erin, Gabrielle, and Humberto, did intensify to Category 4 or 5 strength, but they remained over the open Atlantic.