Louisiana Expecting Above Average 2025 Hurricane Season

An Above-Average Hurricane Season

Colorado State University's (CSU) hurricane forecast team is holding firm on its prediction for a more active than usual 2025 hurricane season. So far this year, four named storms have formed, though none have reached hurricane strength. The team, led by Dr. Phil Klotzbach, anticipates a dozen more named storms, with eight of them intensifying into hurricanes.

"Of those eight, three becoming major Category 3-4-5 hurricanes, those are hurricanes with winds of 111 miles per hour greater," Klotzbach said. "That’s pretty above the long-term average of 14 storms, seven hurricanes, and three major hurricanes."

Peak Season on the Horizon

According to Klotzbach, the peak of hurricane season is right around the corner. "While the season is six months long, stuff really doesn’t ramp up until you get into August," he explained. "The hurricane centers monitor more areas, and things do look to become much more conducive here in the next couple of weeks."

A key indicator of this upcoming increase in activity is the unusually warm tropical Atlantic, which has heated up faster than normal over the past few weeks due to weak winds. "The Atlantic, right now, is quite a bit warmer than normal. Thankfully, not nearly as warm as last year at this time. It’s still running well above average," Klotzbach noted.

Louisiana Hurricane Stats

The Atlantic hurricane season, which impacts Louisiana, is officially designated from June 1st to November 30th.  While the season lasts six months, the most intense activity is generally concentrated from mid-August to mid-October, with the peak around September 10th. 

Louisiana's coastline, with its low-lying areas, barrier islands, and deltaic habitats, is highly susceptible to storm surge and coastal erosion during hurricanes.