Us dodges all hurricane landfalls for first time in decade, but climate change creates record-breaking atlantic storms

The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season ended with a remarkable paradox: while the United States avoided any hurricane landfalls for the first time since 2015, the storms that did form reached unprecedented intensity levels, signaling an alarming climate trend.

Despite predictions of an above-average season with up to 10 named storms, only five hurricanes formed in Atlantic waters. However, four of these storms—including the devastating Hurricane Melissa—reached major strength, creating an extraordinary 80% success rate compared to the typical 40%. The US mainland escaped impact thanks to an unusual atmospheric phenomenon: an anomalous trough in the jet stream that acted like a “force field,” steering approaching hurricanes northward and back out to sea.

The Caribbean nations bore the brunt of this season’s fury, particularly from Hurricane Melissa, which killed at least 45 people across Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic. Fueled by ocean waters made up to 900 times more likely to reach extreme temperatures due to climate change, Melissa underwent “extreme rapid intensification,” doubling from 70 to 140 mph winds in just 18 hours before topping out at 185 mph—tied for the second most powerful Atlantic hurricane on record.

This season marks only the second time in recorded history that three or more Category 5 storms formed, highlighting climate change’s most troubling signature: as oceans continue warming, hurricanes will become increasingly powerful and destructive, regardless of whether atmospheric conditions temporarily shield certain coastlines from impact.