Hurricane season begins June 1: Here’s what to know

TAMPA, Fla. - The 2025 hurricane season begins June 1 and runs through Nov. 30.

After last year’s back-to-back storms, few Floridians want to think about hurricanes, but the time to prepare is now.

READ: Bay Area officials using lessons learned from last year to prepare for 2025 hurricane season

How many hurricanes are predicted in 2025?

By the numbers:

In April, Colorado State University released its initial extended range forecast for the upcoming season.

The team is calling for 17 named storms, nine of which are expected to become hurricanes. Four of those hurricanes could reach major status, with winds of at least 111 mph (Category 3 or higher).

What are the 2025 hurricane names?

The first named storm of the 2025 Atlantic season will be Andrea, followed by Barry, Chantal and newcomer Dexter. The name Dexter replaces Hurricane Dorian, which was retired after the 2019 season.

Here are the 2025 hurricane names with pronunciations:

Andrea (AN-dree uh)
Barry (BAIR-ree)
Chantal (shahn-TAHL)
Dexter (DEHK-ster)
Erin (AIR-rin)
Fernand (fair-NAHN)
Gabrielle (ga-bree-ELL)
Humberto (oom-BAIR-toh)
Imelda (ee-MEHL-dah)
Jerry (JEHR-ee)
Karen (KAIR-ren)
Lorenzo (loh-REN-zoh)
Melissa (meh-LIH-suh)
Nestor (NES-tor)
Olga (OAL-guh)
Pablo (PAHB-lo)
Rebekah (reh-BEH-kuh)
Sebastien (sus-BASH-chuhn)
Tanya (TAHN-yuh)
Van (van)
Wendy (WEN-dee)

Factors to watch in 2025

Big picture view:

Looking ahead to the 2025 season, early outlooks from various weather organizations suggest an average to slightly above-average season. However, experts caution that early predictions are prone to errors.

The status of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, or what is commonly referred to as the ENSO, is in flux. This plays a significant role in shaping tropical activity in the Atlantic Basin.

In late 2024, the world entered a La Niña phase. This climate pattern is often linked to greater storm activity in the Atlantic basin, but the pattern is expected to wane in 2025. This will lead the world back to a neutral status of ENSO.

READ: New Florida bill aims to prepare local governments for better hurricane response

Historically, neutral ENSO years have produced a range of hurricane activity, from a below-average number of cyclones to well above-average seasons, depending on variables such as sea surface temperatures, wind patterns and other atmospheric factors.

According to research conducted by experts at Florida State University, impacts from hurricanes during neutral years are heightened for the Florida Peninsula and the Gulf Coast, similar to what’s produced by La Niña sequences.

The East Coast tends to experience reduced tropical cyclone activity during neutral events, while the Caribbean sees impacts that are considered to be about average.

Emergency Kit Supplies

What to pack in hurricane kit:

Keep important documents — such as birth certificates, social security cards, copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records — in a safe place and/or create password-protected digital copies.

READ: St. Pete Beach storm victims still out of their homes with FEMA hotel stays set to end: 'I'll be homeless'

Keep a list of important contacts, such as Emergency Management Offices, county law enforcement, county public safety fire/rescue, local hospitals, local utilities, local media (such as TV and radio stations) and your property insurance agent.

Assemble a disaster supply kit that will help you meet all your basic needs. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) suggests including:

Water — one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days to be used for drinking and for sanitation
Food — at least three days-worth of non-perishable foods
Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert
Flashlight
First aid kit
Extra batteries
Whistle to signal for help
Dust mask to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter in place
Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
Manual can opener for food
Local maps
Cell phone with chargers and a backup battery
Prescription medications
Non-prescription medications such as pain relievers, anti-diarrhea medication, antacids or laxatives
Glasses and contact lens solution
Infant formula, bottles, diapers, wipes, diaper rash cream
Pet food and extra water for pets
Cash or traveler’s checks
Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person
Change of clothing appropriate for your climate and sturdy shoes
Household chlorine bleach and medicine dropper to disinfect water
Fire extinguisher
Matches in a waterproof container
Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items
Mess kits, paper cups, plates, paper towels and plastic utensils
Paper and pencil
Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children

It’s important to keep your emergency kit updated, so check in annually to replace any expired medications or food and to update the kit with additional items your family may need.

Pet Preparation

If you have pets, it’s important to plan for their needs as well, and you may want to create a separate emergency kit just for them. FEMA offers suggestions for what to place in that kit to ensure your pet’s best chance of getting through the emergency safely.

FEMA also recommends keeping your pet’s microchip information up to date in case they get lost, and creating a buddy system with neighbors or nearby friends and family to help your pet in the case that you aren’t home. Familiarize yourself with pet-friendly hotels and shelters along your evacuation routes in the case that you must leave your home — many emergency shelters cannot take in animals that are not service animals for health and safety reasons.

Home Preparation

Your home is almost certainly going to take a beating during a hurricane, but here are steps you can take to fortify your residence:

Keep drains and gutters free of debris and clutter
Install check valves in your plumbing to prevent backups
If you don’t have hurricane shutters, consider getting them
Review your insurance policies

Car Preparation

If you need to drive away from a hurricane in an evacuation, having important items ready in an separate emergency kit in your car can make leaving much more efficient. Prepare items such as:

Flares
Physical maps
Jumper cables
Extra cans of gas
Warm blanket(s)

Know your zone

Evacuation zones:

If you live in a zone that has been ordered to evacuate, get out. However, that doesn't mean you have to leave the state, or even the county where you live. '

Evacuation orders are given for storm surge zones in order to keep residents safe from the risk of storm surge flooding. The flooding typically subsides after the storm passes and residents will be allowed to return to their homes.

Click here to see your evacuation zone.

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The Source: This story was written with information from NOAA, FEMA, previous FOX 13 news articles and FOX Weather articles.

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