Alert: 2025 Atlantic hurricane season to exceed normal

mùa bão - Ảnh 1. — Image of Hurricane Milton in the Atlantic Ocean from NOAA's GOES-16 satellite in October 2024 - Photo: NOAA

The Cuban News Agency (ACN) quoted the Cuban Meteorological Institute (INSMET) as saying that from June 1, the 2025 hurricane season officially began in the North Atlantic basin, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.

Experts predict at least 15 tropical storms will form, eight of which could reach hurricane strength.

Of the total number of named tropical storms expected, 10 will originate in the Atlantic Ocean, three in the Caribbean Sea and two in the Gulf of Mexico.

Similarly, the chance of at least one hurricane forming and strengthening in the Caribbean is very high (75%), while there is a 50% chance that a hurricane originating in the Atlantic will hit Cuba.

Meanwhile, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts that this year's hurricane season will have 13-19 named storms, with 6-10 reaching hurricane level, including 3-5 high intensity storms (level 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson scale).

These numbers exceed the historical average for hurricanes, reflecting the ongoing pattern of strong cyclone activity in the Atlantic, which is particularly dangerous for the Caribbean islands and the southeastern United States.

The causes of the storms are believed to be ocean warming, neutral El Niño conditions, and strong West African monsoon activity.

2024 saw 18 hurricanes, 11 of which reached hurricane strength, with five hitting the US and two severely impacting Cuba. Hurricane Oscar with winds of 130km/h and Hurricane Rafael with winds of 185km/h caused severe damage in Cuba, killing eight people, damaging 12,000 homes and causing nationwide power outages.

According to INSMET, the list of names for the 2025 hurricane season (in alphabetical order) includes: Andrea, Barry, Chantal, Dexter, Erin, Fernand, Gabrielle, Humberto, Imelda, Jerry, Karen, Lorenzo, Melissa, Nestor, Olga, Pablo, Rebekah, Sebastien, Tanya, Van, and Wendy.

Experts are now actively advising people in the Caribbean and Atlantic coastal regions to be prepared for what is expected to be an especially dangerous hurricane season.