Hurricane Season Ramps Up In The Atlantic: What To Know In NJ

Tropical activity is ramping up in the Atlantic Ocean, and forecasters are closing watching for upcoming impacts to the United States, including potential impacts in New Jersey.

While the Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30, New Jersey's tropical storm activity typically is highest from August through late October.

Experts from Colorado State University predicted an above-normal hurricane season; their latest update on Aug. 6 has New Jersey with a 25 percent chance of being impacted by a tropical storm and an 8 percent chance of being impacted by a hurricane.

"There will be some tropical concerns near the U.S. coast in the next several days, but the backbone of the Atlantic hurricanes, known as the Cabo Verde season, is about to take center stage," AccuWeather forecasters said. "Cabo Verde is a group of islands just west of the African coast and is an approximate starting point for tropical waves of low pressure that can evolve into long-track hurricanes."

As of Thursday, Tropical Storm Dexter is set to transform into a tropical rainstorm. A front off the coast of South Carolina could also have some tropical or subtropical development over the weekend. And a tropical wave over the central tropical Atlantic could form a tropical depression late this weekend or early next week.

Direct impacts to New Jersey aren't expected. But there will be a high risk of rip currents Thursday and Friday, forecasters say. AccuWeather forecasters say that stormy, rainy conditions could hit the East Coast by the middle of next week.

Dexter is the fourth named storm of the hurricane season; NOAA predicts 13 to 19 named storms in total for 2025, with six to 10 of those becoming hurricanes.