By the Coral Gables Gazette editorial board
The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season has been many things—unusual, instructive, and above all, deceptive. With two Category 5 storms already recorded and a rare Fujiwhara interaction between Hurricanes Humberto and Imelda, it has offered a crash course in meteorological phenomena. Yet for all the swirling drama offshore, the most dangerous development may be happening on land: A creeping sense of relief.
Not a single hurricane has made landfall in the United States this year. For Coral Gables and the rest of South Florida, that statistical grace feels like a gift. But it must not lull us into lowering our guard. As local experts from the University of Miami have warned, the rhythms of hurricane season are changing—not subsiding. The absence of destruction is not the same as the absence of danger.
October is historically the most active month for hurricanes in South Florida. Warm Caribbean waters, low wind shear and retreating Saharan dust combine this time of year to form a volatile storm incubator just to our south. It is in these conditions that Wilma, the last major October landfall in Florida, was born – albeit twenty years ago. The same dynamics exist now.
As Brian McNoldy of the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science points out, this season has already seen twelve named storms and two Category 5 hurricanes—figures that match or exceed climatological averages for mid-October. What’s more, these systems are intensifying rapidly. One long-lived hurricane can contribute more to the season’s destructive potential than several weaker storms combined. This year’s accumulated cyclone energy—a key measure of storm power and longevity—is tracking near normal. There is no cause for complacency.
The city must remain vigilant. Emergency planners should treat the season as still active and potentially dangerous, reviewing response protocols and ensuring public messaging reflects the heightened risk that lingers through November. The City of Coral Gables has made commendable strides in resiliency planning, but this is a moment for urgency.
Residents, too, should resist the temptation to look away. The pantry you stocked in June may not be as full as you remember. Evacuation routes fade from memory when not reviewed. And that hurricane app you downloaded during the first tropical wave? If it’s not sending alerts, it’s time to recheck settings—or replace it. Storm preparedness must be habitual.
The memory of Hurricane Irma in 2017 should serve as a vivid reminder. While the storm made landfall farther north, its massive wind field wreaked havoc across South Florida and Coral Gables—toppling trees, flooding streets, and leaving thousands without power for days. Cleanup took weeks. Many longtime residents still remember the eerie silence afterward, broken only by the hum of generators and chainsaws. In a season like this one, where landfalls have been absent, Irma’s legacy reminds us how far-reaching the damage can be.
The story of Humberto and Imelda—two powerful storms that spun around each other without ever making landfall—offers more than a science lesson. It offers a metaphor. Even when danger appears to be drifting elsewhere, we remain in the storm’s sphere of influence. Proximity, not impact, defines risk.
There’s also a broader lesson to be learned from the lack of U.S. landfalls so far this season. As UM researcher Andy Hazelton notes, the storms that do reach us late in the year tend to arrive not from the east, but from the south or southwest—routes that evade many traditional forecasting instincts. The idea that “it’s too late in the season” has never held up historically, and it certainly doesn’t this year.
We urge Coral Gables to take this moment of calm as a mandate for continued communication. Public service announcements should stress that hurricane season officially ends November 30, not the last storm, and certainly not the last week people paid attention. The city’s emergency management website should remain up to date. Social media channels must continue to reinforce preparedness messaging, especially as we approach the season’s final stretch.
We also encourage the city to highlight the extraordinary work being done by local institutions like the University of Miami, NOAA, and CIMAS. Their research and real-time hurricane reconnaissance not only inform national forecasts but serve as a vital public good for our region. From Jason Dunion’s airborne missions into the heart of storms to the deployment of new storm-intensity technologies, these efforts give South Florida communities a sharper, earlier picture of what may be coming.
The greatest danger now is not wind or rain. It’s forgetting that they could still come.
Let’s not let statistical luck—or scientific marvels like the Fujiwhara effect—disarm us. The quietest moment of a season can precede its fiercest blow. Preparedness must remain our watchword.
