The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season will officially begin in just a few days on June 1, and NOAA forecasters released their outlook for the season on Thursday.

It could be another busy one, unfortunately.

According to NOAA forecasters, specifically the Climate Prediction Center, the 2025 season has a 30 percent chance of a near-normal season, a 60 percent chance of an above-normal season, and a 10 percent chance of a below-normal season.

NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center’s hurricane season outlook for the Atlantic Basin, which includes the Gulf and the Caribbean, will have:

• 13-19 named storms (both tropical storms and hurricanes)
• 6-10 hurricanes
• 3-5 major hurricanes (Category 3 or stronger storms)

NOAA said forecasters have a 70 percent confidence in these ranges.

An “average” hurricane season, according to NOAA data from 1991-2020, has:

• 14 named storms
• 7 hurricanes
• 3 major hurricanes

Another well-known hurricane forecast is also predicting a busy season. Colorado State University, which has been in the tropical forecasting business for over four decades, released an early outlook in April and was predicting:

• 17 named storms
• 9 hurricanes
• 4 major hurricanes

There are several reasons for forecasters thinking a busier season is coming.

Sea surface temperatures in the the Atlantic continue to be on the warm side. Warmer water provides the fuel for storms to develop and intensify.

And there are indications that El Nino will not be a factor this season. What forecasters call “neutral” conditions are favored to be the story through the summer and possibly into the fall before chances for La Nina begin to increase.

El Nino years typically have fewer storms because wind shear over the Atlantic can be more prevalent, which can keep tropical systems from developing or strengthening.

NOAA said that other factors could be the potential for higher activity from the West African Monsoon, a primary starting point for Atlantic hurricanes. All of these elements tend to favor tropical storm formation.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 until Nov. 30. Activity typically begins slowly and peaks in August through October. The climatological peak of the season is Sept. 10.

Here are the 2025 storm names for the Atlantic:

• Andrea
• Barry
• Chantal
• Dexter
• Erin
• Fernand
• Gabrielle
• Humberto
• Imelda
• Jerry
• Karen
• Lorenzo
• Melissa
• Nestor
• Olga
• Pablo
• Rebekah
• Sebastien
• Tanya
• Van
• Wendy