Orange Beach, Ala. — (OBA) — The first named tropical storm of the 2025 season, Andrea, has formed in the Atlantic about 1,500 miles due east of Norfolk, Virginia. The disorganized, low-pressure system is expected to continue moving north over the open ocean and eventually dissipate. It is not expected to approach the U.S. coasts. 

While it is the first stirring of the ocean to happen this hurricane season, a slow start is not new. The Weather Channel reports that since 1966, on average, the first storm arrived around June 10. Between 1991 – 2020, that date shifted to June 20. 

It’s certainly different from hurricane season 2024 when tropical storm Alberto skirted across the Gulf and two weeks later Hurricane Beryl barreled into the Caribbean as a category 4 monster. 

Different, but not unusual. 

Experts do say that where Andrea developed is in itself, unusual. 

“Typically, development happens along the mid-Atlantic Coast, the Gulf, or the Caribbean. Where Andrea formed is atypical,” said Joe Maniscalco, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Mobile. 

“Sometimes we do get a fairly active June, but this quiet June, it’s not anything out of the ordinary,” he said. 

According to The Weather Channel, the two quietest months of the season are the start and finish, June and November. 

This year, atmospheric conditions may be helping to stymie activity and squash developing storms, as Andrea is learning. 

The Weather Channel reports that a combination of strong wind shear over the western Gulf and Caribbean, higher than average surface pressure and more stable air is helping keep development under control. Saharan dust in the mid and upper atmosphere is also helping suppress tropical storm development in 2025. 

That eases coastal residents’ minds, for now. Atmospheric conditions can change, meaning it may not be quiet for long. 

The peak of the Atlantic Hurricane Season is September 10th.