Dangerous tropical storms on the rise

 

Hurricane Erin, August 2025 (Source: NOAA)

The tropical Atlantic has become markedly busier since Gabrielle was named a tropical storm on September 17. That followed a multi-week stretch of no tropical activity. Prior to Gabrielle, the Atlantic had been without a named storm since Tropical Storm Fernand dissipated on August 28.

Gabrielle, meanwhile, became the second hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season. At peak intensity in the central Atlantic, Hurricane Gabrielle reached Category 4 status with 140 mph sustained winds and a minimum central air pressure of 948 millibars (mb). This followed Hurricane Erin last month that was a Category 5 at peak intensity. This season was the first since 2011 that the initial two Atlantic hurricanes both became major, Category 3 storms.  Fortunately, neither Erin or Gabrielle had any direct impacts on the United States.

Starting with Gabrielle the tropical Atlantic has gotten much busier. Not only did Humberto reach hurricane status this morning, but an area of disturbed weather near the Bahamas is also expected to become Tropical Storm Imelda in the next few days. There is a great deal of uncertainty between how strong these systems could get and where they ultimately will track.

There have been other seasons where late-September and October were very busy. Last season was a good example with catastrophic Hurricanes Helene in late-September followed by Milton in October. Both storms rank among the Top 15 costliest hurricanes in the United States, according to NOAA.

October has also featured other very intense hurricanes such as 2005’s Hurricane Wilma which set a new record for strongest Atlantic hurricane on record (882 mb). Hurricane Milton was also a Category 5 storm last October and tied for fourth lowest air pressure (895 mb). Air pressure is considered a more accurate measure of hurricane intensity than wind speed. Although Hurricanes Milton and Wilma each had significant impacts in the United States, they fortunately weakened below Category 5 intensity prior to landfall. Each of these storms had their names retired by the World Meteorological Organization for being both destructive and deadly. 

While the tropical Atlantic was quiet throughout the first half of month, the hurricane season isn’t over yet. It’s vital to listen to your local authorities should your area be threatened by any tropical storm or hurricane.