La Niña Has Arrived—and Hurricane Season Could Take a Significant Turn

Homeowners are in the thick of the hurricane season, but they may need to brace themselves for bigger storms to come. 

NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center announced Thursday that “La Niña conditions emerged in September 2025,” a shift expected to influence both the tail end of this year’s hurricane season and the broader fall and winter weather across the United States.

La Niña is a recurring climate pattern that occurs when ocean waters near the equator in the central and eastern Pacific cool below historical averages, according to AccuWeather. NOAA said an “expansion of below-average sea surface temperatures across the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean” signaled the arrival of La Niña.

While typically, La Niña conditions need to persist for five consecutive three-month periods to be official, according to AccuWeather senior meteorologist and long-range expert Paul Pastelok, this year’s La Niña appears to be “weak.” 

So how should homeowners prepare? Depends on La Niña.

Hurricane season impact 

AccuWeather lead hurricane expert Alex DaSilva said in the site’s forecast that the emergence of La Niña "favors an active end to the hurricane season."

He explains that during a La Niña phase, wind shear in the parts of the Atlantic basin where tropical systems form becomes less frequent, increasing the potential for more storms.

Because of that, the chances of La Niña conditions “greatly increase late in the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, especially in October and November," DaSilva adds. 

So far, 10 named storms have formed in the Atlantic, of which four were hurricanes. Tropical storm Jerry is poised to be the fifth hurricane of the season by this weekend, though it's far enough out to sea that it’s not slated to make landfall. 

The upcoming winter months

While the first day of winter doesn’t land until closer to Christmas this year, meteorological winter begins on Monday, Dec. 1.

With that in mind, should La Niña conditions strengthen, the impact would be felt dramatically. But as the system seems to be weakening, the system could be less impactful.

In fact, Emily Becker, the lead writer of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s ENSO blog, told Live Science, that she did not feel that La Niña “wouldn’t exert a strong influence over the winter.” 

This aligns with other forecasts that have indicated the winter months could prove uneventful, yet particularly cold in the more southern states. 

How homeowners should prepare

All the same, it’s important for homeowners to safeguard their homes—both during hurricane season and before the extreme cold of the winter months sets in. 

"Catastrophic issues tend to happen in the winter—and when those occur, nine times out of 10 it's due to failing to plan," says Janet O'Dea, owner of Powers Plumbing in San Diego, told Realtor.com®. "Taking some time to anticipate and be ahead of maintenance issues throughout the year takes a lot of pressure off."

Some basic tips? Well, both in hurricane season and the winter, it’s a good idea to make sure you have a working generator, and keep a stash of batteries for flashlights and lanterns at the ready should you lose power.

Also, it’s a good idea to give your home a once-over inspection before it gets too chilly.

"Home issues that are more susceptible in the winter—such as frozen pipes, window and door drafts, and the condition of a home’s gutters—can be easily detected during this time of year," says Patrick Knight, of WIN Home Inspection.

And finally, roofs are exposed to weather throughout the year, so remember to inspect yours and make repairs as soon as you notice them.

Clearing out the debris from your gutters is also crucial to help prevent water damage that can occur from both hurricanes and severe winter storms.  

When gutters are clogged with debris, rainwater can't flow freely, leading to water buildup. This excess water can cause damage to your roof, foundation, and siding.