Atlantic season to end with no US hurricane landfalls, but one record-shattering Caribbean storm

The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season brought 13 named storms and five hurricanes, including Hurricane Melissa, which devastated Jamaica as a Category 5.

The Atlantic hurricane season is drawing to a close — one that was unlike any other in the past decade in the United States — yet produced one of the most powerful hurricanes ever to strike the Caribbean.

Rare season without a landfalling hurricane in the US

The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season is likely to conclude as the first in a decade without a single hurricane landfall in the United States. Hurricane season officially ends on Nov. 30.

“The U.S. benefited from a combination of unique atmospheric conditions, the timing of cold fronts pushing across the East Coast and a lot of luck to make it through the peak of the season without a single hurricane landfall," AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter said.

"This reprieve is welcome after recent catastrophic hurricane strikes like Helene and Milton last year," Porter added. "The U.S. has endured 17 hurricane landfalls in the past five years. Many families and businesses are still struggling to recover.”

Tropical Storm Chantal was the only named storm to make landfall in the U.S., moving ashore near Litchfield Beach, South Carolina, on July 6 with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph. Six deaths were blamed on Chantal, which caused major flooding in parts of South Carolina and North Carolina.

However, beach communities along the East Coast still faced the wrath of powerful hurricanes that tracked close to land. Massive waves generated by storms such as Hurricane Erin caused extensive beach erosion from Florida to the mid-Atlantic. In the Outer Banks, the waves contributed to the collapse of multiple houses into the turbulent sea.

AccuWeather experts estimate the total damage and economic loss from tropical storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic basin this year is $55 billion to $61 billion, which is roughly one-eighth of last year’s catastrophic total. For comparison, six storms during the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season caused a combined total damage and economic loss of $457 billion to $506 billion in the U.S., according to AccuWeather experts.

If no additional storms develop before the end of the year, 2025 will end with 13 tropical storms and five hurricanes, close to the historical average for the Atlantic basin of 14 storms and seven hurricanes.

“This hurricane season will be remembered for brief bursts of extreme intensity between long, quiet stretches with no tropical activity," AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva said. "The climatological peak of the season was remarkably quiet for the [second] year in a row.”

Of the five hurricanes, three intensified into Category 5 storms — Erin, Humberto and Melissa — one shy of the record four set during the blockbuster 2005 hurricane season.

Hurricane Imelda was on a path to make landfall along the Atlantic coast of the southeastern U.S., but was pulled away from the coast by a rare meteorological phenomenon known as the Fujiwhara Effect.

Hurricane Humberto spun just a few hundred miles to the east of Imelda, and was the stronger of the two. The influence of the stronger hurricane tugged on Imelda, eventually steering it away from land and likely averting a flooding disaster in the southeastern U.S.

There are only a handful of other documented cases of the Fujiwhara Effect in the Atlantic basin in recent years, including the interaction between Hurricanes Matthew and Nicole in 2016.

Hurricane Melissa: Storm of the season

Hurricane Melissa, the final hurricane of the season in late October, was the deadliest and most destructive of the year. Melissa became one of the few hurricanes on record to make landfall as a Category 5 storm when it barreled into Jamaica, unleashing catastrophic winds, storm surge and flooding. It was at peak strength with 185-mph winds when it made landfall on Oct. 28.

"Tragically, 2025 will be remembered for the last storm of the year so far," Porter said. "It only takes one landfall to create a devastating season, and Melissa was the deadliest and most destructive."

Hurricane Melissa was the third-most intense hurricane ever observed in the Caribbean, with a minimum central pressure of 26.34 inches of mercury (892 millibars). Only Hurricane Wilma (26.05 inches of mercury, 882 millibars) and Hurricane Gilbert (26.22 inches of mercury, 888 millibars) had lower pressures. It was also the strongest storm in recorded history to strike Jamaica.

Hurricane Melissa caused $48 billion to $52 billion in total damage and economic loss, according to preliminary estimates from AccuWeather. At least 45 deaths were attributed to the storm in the immediate aftermath, according to The Associated Press, but that number may rise in the coming months as thousands of people grapple with the extreme devastation in the wake of the hurricane.

AccuWeather hurricane experts say people and businesses should not become complacent after the first season without a U.S. hurricane landfall in 10 years.

“The damage and financial losses in the U.S. this year are a small fraction compared to last year’s devastating hurricane season impacts. But make no mistake — this has been an incredibly costly year for weather disasters in America, even without a single hurricane landfall,” Porter explained.

“The insurance industry is strained. Aging infrastructure is being pushed to its limits. Many businesses are already experiencing more disruptions from the weather. Our nation needs to prepare for a future with stronger storms, more intense rainfall rates, and more destructive extreme weather,” Porter said.

Report a Typo