Above-normal activity forecast. NOAA predicts an exceptionally active season with up to 25 named storms. Is your community ready?
NOAA forecast: 8–13 hurricanes, including 4–7 major hurricanes (Category 3–5). The Atlantic Main Development Region is running 1.5°C warmer than average — supercharging storm intensity.
🌡️ Record Atlantic sea surface temperatures — warming oceans provide the energy that fuels hurricanes
🌊 La Niña conditions in the Pacific reduce wind shear, allowing storms to organize and strengthen rapidly
💨 Rapid intensification events are increasing — storms jumping 2+ categories in 24 hours, giving communities less time to evacuate
Scientists directly link higher activity and stronger storms to human-caused climate change.
🔴 Florida — 1,350 miles of coastline, largest exposure in the USA
🔴 Texas — Gulf Coast faces storm surge threat; Houston metro vulnerable
🔴 Louisiana — New Orleans still recovering from Ida; wetlands shrinking
🔴 North Carolina — Eastern regions exposed to inland flooding from landfalling storms
🔴 South Carolina / Georgia — Growing coastal populations face rising storm surge risk
A single major landfalling hurricane can cause $50–100 billion in damage. Katrina (2005) cost $186B. Ian (2022) cost $113B. As coastal development grows, each storm’s economic footprint expands.
FEMA warns US insurance markets are destabilizing as private insurers exit high-risk coastal markets.
Storm surge — the abnormal rise of water pushed ashore by hurricane winds — kills more people than wind. Rising sea levels mean surge now penetrates further inland, threatening communities that never flooded before.
NWS Storm Surge Atlases now cover the entire US Gulf and Atlantic Coast.
✅ Water: 1 gallon per person per day × 3 days
✅ Food: 3-day supply of non-perishable items
✅ Documents: Insurance, ID, medical records in waterproof bag
✅ Battery radio + flashlights + extra batteries
✅ Know your evacuation zone — register with county emergency management
Scientists confirm that while global warming may not increase the total number of hurricanes, it is making them more intense and more destructive.
📈 Category 4–5 hurricane proportion has increased globally since 1980
🌧️ Hurricanes are producing 10–15% more rainfall than they did 50 years ago
🌊 Sea-level rise adds 6–12 inches of storm surge beyond historical levels
Hurricane season runs June 1 – November 30. Peak danger: August–October. Don’t wait — prepare your family, know your evacuation routes, and stay informed.
Follow NOAA and your local NWS office for real-time updates during storm season.