HELENA — The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season is winding down. November 30th is the final day, not that a rare hurricane could not form after that date, but typically, tropical development does not occur.
It was a down year for hurricane activity. For the first time in 10 years, a hurricane did not make landfall in the United States. At the beginning of each hurricane season, the National Hurricane Center makes an official forecast. At the beginning of this year, 19 named storms that were at least a tropical storm, 6-10 hurricanes and 3-5 major hurricanes were predicted to add up to an above-average year.
In the end, there were 13 named storms, 5 hurricanes and 4 major hurricanes. There were 3 category five hurricanes, the strongest category, which was the second-highest total on record.
Hurricane Melissa was one of those category fives and was undoubtedly the most significant storm of the season. Melissa's rapid intensification and slow movement made it devastating to Jamaica. Melissa would go on to hit Cuba and the Bahamas. The death toll in Jamaica alone now stands at 67.
Artificial intelligence is becoming an integral part of many scientific disciplines, and hurricane forecasting is no exception. The 2025 season was the first time that the National Hurricane Center incorporated AI-based models into real-time operations. It's worth noting that forecasting errors for intensity and track were higher than in previous years.
Hurricane season for the tropics is winding down, but Montana winter is just getting started.
