Busy hurricane season expected as forecasters fear Trump cuts23 hours ago Share Save Mark Poynting Climate reporter, BBC News Share SaveNoaa/Reuters Hurricane Milton, in October 2024, was one of the Atlantic's strongest recorded stormsThe coming Atlantic hurricane season is expected to be busier than usual, US science agency NOAA has warned, just as cuts to American research are raising fears about the ability to track and prepare for these often deadly storms. Today's 2025 Atlantic season outlook covers the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, called the Gulf of America by the Trump administration. Neutral or weak La Niña conditions – which favour Atlantic hurricanes - are considered more likely, though this early on it is difficult to say. This has left the National Weather Service – NOAA's weather forecasting and hazard-warning branch – critically understaffed ahead of the hurricane season, several scientists told the BBC. "And if we're not collecting data in important places, then I think that risks your hurricane forecast suffering."