The hurricane forecast team at Colorado State University is calling for an above-average hurricane season in 2025.
Lead researcher Phil Klotzbach says warm water in the Atlantic will help produce 17 named storms, nine hurricanes, and four major hurricanes.
He says the chances of an El Niño are quite low.
"An El Niño tends to increase those levels of vertical wind shear," said Klotzbach. "Vertical wind shear: good for us, bad for the hurricane."
Researcher Lauren Beard says based on their research, there’s a 33 percent chance that a major hurricane will hit the Gulf Coast from the Florida panhandle to Brownsville, Texas.
"This is slightly above average," said Beard. "The historical average is 27 percent."
Beard says ocean temperatures are not as warm as last year, but are still above average.
The Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1.
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