A forecast team from Colorado State University has predicted an above-average hurricane season in the Atlantic basin this year.

The CSU Tropical Meteorology Project says there will be 17 named storms, with nine of those storms developing into hurricanes and four of those reaching major hurricane strength, in the Atlantic this season. Hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30.

“So far, the 2025 hurricane season is exhibiting characteristics similar to 1996, 1999, 2006, 2008, 2011 and 2017,” said Phil Klotzbach, a senior research scientist in the Department of Atmospheric Science at CSU and lead author of the report.

The team predicts:
•    A 51 percent chance at least one major hurricane will make landfall on the U.S. coastline in 2025 (the long-term average probability is 43 percent).
•    A 26 percent chance a major hurricane will make landfall on the U.S. East Coast, including the Florida Peninsula (the long-term average is 21 percent).
•    A 33 percent chance a major hurricane will make landfall on the Gulf Coast from the Florida Panhandle west to Brownsville (the long-term average is 27 percent).

The 2024 hurricane season was the third-costliest Atlantic hurricane season on record, with 18 named storms forming. Among them, 11 became hurricanes, with five reaching major hurricane strength. Clay Electric’s service area was impacted by Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton. Hurricanes Helene and Milton combined to cause more than 250 fatalities and more than $120 billion in damage in the southeastern United States.

Florida residents are reminded to take the proper precautions and to remember that it takes only one landfall event nearby to make this an active season.

Clay Electric Cooperative offers lots of information to help its members prepare for the possibility a hurricane may strike North Florida, including a Hurricane Preparedness Guide. Copies of the 2025 Hurricane Preparedness Guide will be available online and at the cooperative’s six district offices in June.