The Atlantic hurricane season in 2025 is expected to be more active than usual, with several familiar names making a return. However, a new addition will catch the attention of those tracking these storms.
Understanding Hurricane Naming Conventions
The names for Atlantic storms are selected from rotating lists maintained by a committee of the World Meteorological Organization. These lists repeat every six years. The current list first appeared in 2019, starting with the name Andrea.
Names are generally reused unless a hurricane or tropical storm has caused significant destruction or fatalities. In such cases, the committee votes to retire the name to honor the lives affected and prevent future use. When a name is retired, it is replaced with a new one starting with the same letter.
Highlighting 2025’s Noteworthy Names
The name Dexter will replace Hurricane Dorian on this year’s list. Dorian, a devastating Category 5 hurricane in 2019, severely impacted Grand Bahama and Great Abaco Islands and later affected the U.S. Southeast Coast before making landfall in North Carolina as a Category 2 storm.
Additionally, Van and Wendy are two names that have not been used for Atlantic storms since the naming process began including both male and female names in 1983. Several names from the original 1983 list have since been retired.
Average Storm Activity
From 1991 to 2020, an average Atlantic hurricane season saw about 14 storms. If 2025 follows this trend, the name Nestor would be the last on the list. However, recent years, including 2024, have often exceeded this average, utilizing more names from the list.
Additional Naming Procedures
In the rare event that all 21 names are used in a single season, a supplemental list will be employed, starting with Adria. Only two years, 2005 and 2020, have recorded more than 21 named storms, necessitating the use of the Greek Alphabet. However, this practice was replaced by the supplemental list due to various challenges with the Greek Alphabet, such as similar-sounding letters and translation issues across different languages.
The Societal Shift
- Increased hurricane activity may lead to heightened preparedness efforts in coastal communities as residents brace for potential storms.
- Local governments and emergency services might need to allocate more resources to manage the anticipated impacts of a busier hurricane season.
- Insurance companies could see an increase in claims, potentially affecting premiums and coverage options for property owners in high-risk areas.
- Environmental organizations may use the increased activity to further discussions on climate change and its effects on weather patterns.
- Travel and tourism industries in hurricane-prone regions could face challenges as visitors may reconsider plans based on the forecasted storm activity.
