The 2025 hurricane season will see no hurricanes make landfall in the US mainland. Photo: NOAA
An Atlantic hurricane season is ending without a single hurricane making landfall in the United States — a rarity in a decade. But the depressions and storms that formed out in the ocean were so powerful they offered a stark warning about the future of a rapidly warming climate and oceans.
Even without a direct hit, the destruction is still there. The remnants of Hurricane Barry caused severe flooding in the Texas foothills, while Hurricane Chantal brought deadly flooding to North Carolina, highlighting the fact that hurricanes can still cause disaster without making landfall as we get wetter weather and extreme rainfall increases globally.
Philip Klotzbach, a hurricane expert at Colorado State University, called it “a weird season.” Three storms have accelerated to peak Category 5 strength. Four have reached Category 4 strength, and four others have accelerated rapidly, meaning wind speeds increased by at least 35 mph in a single day.
They are few in number, but they are among the strongest of the strongest. “If just one of these superstorms hits a populated area, the damage will be much greater than that of several weaker storms combined,” Klotzbach warned.
A total of 13 storms formed, slightly below the long-term average, and also lower than initial hurricane forecasts that called for as many as 19 storms this season.
The common thread among this year’s powerful storms lies beneath the surface: Ocean temperatures are too high. More than 80% of the Atlantic recorded above-average temperatures, among the highest since 1958. Nearly 40% of the Atlantic basin was in the top 10% of temperatures ever recorded.
This warming helps storms maintain their intensity, and even continue to strengthen as they move, because instead of encountering cold water, they still draw heat from the warm water layer below.
However, high sea surface temperatures are not enough to create a hurricane without atmospheric instability—a large difference between the warm ocean and the cold atmosphere above.
This year, in some regions, the upper atmosphere has been unusually warm, reducing temperature differences and causing fewer new storms to form than expected, despite very hot oceans.
In contrast, in the Caribbean – where Hurricane Melissa reached historic devastation in Jamaica – the temperature difference is huge, creating the conditions for a truly “monster storm” to explode.
At 10:00 a.m. on October 28, storm Melissa reached winds of 298 km/h and a pressure of 892 mb. Video : Tropicaltidbits.com
There is no sign that ocean heat will decrease by 2026. This factor will continue to be a catalyst for hurricane intensity next season.
Another factor — La Nina — which contributed to the 2024-2025 hurricane season being more favorable for strong storms is forecast to weaken early next year.
It is rare for a hurricane to make landfall in the United States two years in a row, something that has happened only six times since 1851. But the absence of hurricanes on land does not provide a sense of security. Over the ocean, their strength is changing—fewer in number, but stronger, more ferocious, and leaving a warning for the seasons to come.
Laodong.vn
Source: https://laodong.vn/the-gioi/nghich-ly-kho-tin-trong-mua-bao-2025-1611943.ldo
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