Atlantic Almost Back To Average Activity After Slow September Start

Recap: 2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season So Far

We’ve had two Category 5 hurricanes and a flurry of tropical activity recently off the East Coast, but has this season actually been active?

By one metric used by scientists to talk about an entire season, we’re getting back toward average.

The Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) index takes into account not just the number of storms in a season, but also the intensity and longevity of storms and hurricanes.

(MORE: Here's How Hurricane Season Changes In October)

Long-lived, intense hurricanes have a high ACE index, while short-lived, weak tropical storms have a much lower ACE. The sum of the ACE for all the storms in a season determines how busy it was.

The season will need another burst of activity to finish close to average.

By other metrics — the number of tropical storms and hurricanes — the 2025 season is also below-average. Only the number of Category 3-plus hurricanes this season has been slightly above average.

With nearly two more months of the hurricane season to go, things can change and we must remember that these numbers do impact us all.

We’ve been lucky this year — and hopefully it stays this way — but most hurricane seasons result in billions of dollars in losses and thousands of lives impacted.