Hurricane Season Opens With Quiet Tropics, but Treasure Coast Officials Urge Immediate Prep

The Atlantic was quiet over Memorial Day weekend. No tropical waves. No disturbances worth tracking. But emergency managers across Florida's Treasure Coast are not resting.

Hurricane season officially begins June 1, and the silence in the tropics this week is a false comfort, public safety officials warn — the kind that lulls coastal communities into skipping the steps that save lives when a storm finally does organize.

"People look outside, see blue skies, and they think they have time," said Officials said. "They don't."

The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season carries above-normal forecast odds. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration projects 17 to 25 named storms, including eight to 13 hurricanes and four to seven major hurricanes of Category 3 or stronger, according to its May 22 outlook. La Niña-like conditions in the Pacific — which reduce upper-level wind shear over the Atlantic and allow storms to intensify — are among the drivers behind the elevated forecast, the agency said.

For Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties, the math is blunt: this coastline sits squarely in the strike zone for storms that curve northward off the Bahamas, a track that has produced direct hits from Fort Pierce to Vero Beach within the last decade.

Emergency managers are urging residents to complete a checklist before the weekend ends: assemble a seven-day supply kit, including water, medications and phone chargers; identify your evacuation zone using the county's official zone maps; and ensure flood and wind insurance policies are active. Private insurers require a 30-day waiting period before coverage takes effect, so procrastinating past June 1 could leave a homeowner unprotected through most of July.

Marina operators from Stuart to Sebastian said they are already briefing slip renters on storm protocols, including haul-out requirements and tie-down expectations for any storm threatening the coast.

The Indian River Lagoon's shallow basin and the region's aging drainage infrastructure add a flood-risk layer that persists even in storms that weaken before landfall. Surge and rainfall flooding, not wind, kill more people in Florida hurricanes, according to National Weather Service data.

The tropics are quiet now. They will not stay that way.

This article was generated with AI assistance using publicly available information. It was reviewed and approved by a human editor before publication. TC Sentinel uses AI writing tools in accordance with FTC guidelines.