the 2025 hurricane season It is heading towards its official end, on November 30, with an unexpected event: For the first time in ten years, No hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean has directly affected continental land From the United States.
For most of 2025, Systems formed in the Atlantic Ocean It seems to follow traditional paths, – Progress from areas near the equator in the western direction.
but, When approaching the coast From the United States, everything They started heading north and then eastto move away from the mainland without major impacts.
Greg PostelQuoted from the specialized weather channel CBS NewsHe described the pattern vividly: “They started heading north, away from the American coast, over and over again.”
Meteorologists They defined this repetitive behavior as “returning.”which is the behavior that occurs when The hurricane heads towards the open sea instead of continuing its movement towards continental areas.
Although the behavior is unknown, it is It was extraordinary This was repeated with great insistence during the same season.
In 2025 it was formed 13 named storms and five hurricanesincluding Melissa, which struck Jamaica as one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded in the Caribbean. but, None of them reached the United States.
It was the only exception Tropical Storm Chantalwhich made landfall in July in South Carolina, causing flash flooding and killing six people. However, it did not do so with hurricane force.
Scientists explained that the decisive factor behind the continuous deviation of these climate phenomena is: A widespread low pressure system exists high over the eastern United States.
Matthew Rosencrans, senior hurricane forecaster at the Climate Prediction Center, elaborated: CBS News Which This large depression served as the drag mechanism: I picked up all the hurricane’s And forced it to move towards higher latitudes Before it can move towards the Gulf of Mexico or the Caribbean, where the odds of impact often increase dramatically.
While a season with no direct impacts is rare, it is not unprecedented. The historical record cited by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows this Since 1990, several years have passed without hurricanes making landfall In the United Statesincluded 2000, 2001, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2013 and 2015.
However, the absence of impacts in 2025 contrasts with recent high activity seasons. In 2024, for example, there were five hurricanes with direct impacts on the United States.
Accuweather He stressed that the combination of atmospheric patterns and the timely arrival of cold fronts was crucial in avoiding impacts. Jonathan Porter, chief meteorologist, noted this “The country took advantage of a combination of unique and highly random weather conditions to be able to get through the period of greatest activity without a single impact.”.
But the relief did not erase the consequences of the rest of the year’s phenomena. Although the United States stayed away from hurricanes, It recorded damage from severe waves generated by hurricanes that passed nearby.
Case in point Erinwhich caused severe erosion on beaches from Florida to the mid-Atlantic, as well as the collapse of homes in vulnerable areas in North Carolina.