Adjuster TV

Hurricane Season 2025: Lessons from History and What Adjusters Should Expect

We’re standing at the peak of hurricane season. 

Historically, September 10 is the climatological high point for Atlantic tropical activity. So far in 2025, the numbers look surprisingly quiet: six named storms, only one hurricane (Erin), and one major (Erin peaked at Category 5 before weakening).

That sounds eerily familiar. In 2013, we saw 14 named storms but only two weak hurricanes, and not a single hurricane made U.S. landfall. ACE (Accumulated Cyclone Energy) that year was one of the lowest in decades.

So is 2025 shaping up to be another 2013? Maybe not. The waters are hotter, La Niña is trying to make a comeback, and forecasters from NOAA and CSU are still calling for 3 to 5 major hurricanes before the season is over. But history teaches us that even one quiet year can have ripple effects across the insurance adjusting industry.

What Quiet Years Mean for Adjusters

The stretch from 2013 through 2015 is a perfect example.
2013: No major hurricanes, no U.S. hurricane landfalls.
2014: Only six hurricanes, one U.S. landfall (Arthur, North Carolina) — a weak one.
2015: Ten hurricanes, but most stayed out at sea.

That three-year lull created a slowdown in catastrophic deployments, and for many new adjusters it was tough to get a foothold. Firms had more adjusters on the roster than they had work to give.

But here’s the key: claims don’t disappear in quiet years. Carriers still face hail, wind, daily claims, and especially winter storm losses.

Why Winter Storms Matter

Some of the most profitable deployments of the past decade didn’t come from hurricanes at all.
2021 Texas Freeze (Winter Storm Uri) caused 30 to 40 billion dollars in insured losses, across all 254 counties of Texas.
2022 Winter Storm Elliott generated multi-billion-dollar claims across nearly half the country.

According to the Insurance Information Institute, winter storms caused nearly 6 billion dollars in insured losses in 2022 alone, making them a top driver of claims work. For adjusters, that means opportunities don’t vanish when the tropics stay quiet — they just shift.

Part of the Game for Independent Adjusters

This is part of the game for IAs, especially new ones. It can be a tedious and frustrating waiting game where you just don’t know what — if anything — is going to happen to put you to work. But this is where steel reserve comes into play. The people who can see that this is a long game, and who keep their powder dry through the quiet times, are the ones who can stomach slow seasons (not saying this one is slow, it could blow up at any moment) and still thrive.

Getting advanced training and making yourself as valuable as possible is the name of the game — and that usually translates into three things:

1. The more licenses you can get the better, especially in tough-to-get but densely populated states like New York and California. You’re much more likely to get work, even remote work-from-home assignments, if you have a lot of licenses.
2. The ability and willingness to pick up and go at the drop of a hat. Offer to go to any underserved state they’re needing adjusters in. If they say, “we’re struggling to staff New Mexico,” then get the NM license if you don’t already have it. Be willing to do anything they ask at any time and you’ll start building relationships that will translate into more work as they start to see your value.
3. You’ve got to hustle. Get on as many rosters as possible and bug each one of them once a week by phone — email won’t cut it. Find out who the deployment managers are or the team leads responsible for staffing events and daily work, and just keep calling.

Major Storms Since 1999

Here’s a year-by-year snapshot of the storms that created the most work for adjusters.

1999: Floyd (flooding, East Coast)
2000: Quiet, no major U.S. landfalls (I got my first storm this year - a major hail storm in Chicago)
2001: Tropical Storm Allison (flooding, Houston)
2002: Isidore, Lili (Gulf/Caribbean)
2003: Isabel (Mid-Atlantic)
2004: Charley, Frances, Ivan, Jeanne (Florida)
2005: Katrina, Rita, Wilma (historic losses)
2006: Quiet
2007: Dean, Felix (Category 5, Caribbean landfalls)
2008: Ike, Gustav (Gulf Coast)
2009: Very quiet
2010: Alex (Mexico), Earl (Caribbean/Canada)
2011: Irene (East Coast flooding)
2012: Sandy (Northeast U.S.)
2013: Very quiet (no U.S. hurricane landfalls)
2014: Arthur (North Carolina)
2015: Joaquin (Bahamas, offshore U.S.)
2016: Matthew (Southeast U.S., Caribbean)
2017: Harvey, Irma, Maria (historic season)
2018: Florence, Michael (U.S. landfalls)
2019: Dorian (Bahamas)
2020: Laura, Eta, Iota (record season)
2021: Ida (Louisiana and Northeast)
2022: Ian (Florida, 112 billion dollars in damage)
2023: Lee (Category 5, modest U.S. impact)
2024: Helene, Milton (one of the costliest seasons on record)

Strategies for Adjusters in 2025

Stay proactive. Even if the tropics stay quiet, firms are still deploying adjusters. Reach out now, don’t wait for the call.

Be flexible. Your first deployment may not be a hurricane. It could be hail, flood, or winter storm claims.

Think long-term. A quiet season doesn’t mean no work — it just means you need to be patient and keep your readiness sharp.

The Bottom Line

Hurricane seasons ebb and flow. Some years — like 2005, 2017, and 2024 — change the industry overnight. Others, like 2013, remind us that storms can fizzle.

But for independent adjusters, there’s always work. Hurricanes may grab headlines, but ice storms, freezes, and severe wind events keep the industry moving too.

The real key is to be prepared, be rostered, and stay ready — because when the call comes, you’ll need to move fast.

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Adjuster TV

The Two Critical Frameworks For Disaster Deployment Success

Free On-Demand Masterclass: How New Adjusters Can Stay Ahead of the Storm and Launch a Thriving Career

www.adjustertv.com/deployment

What you’ll learn.

How to take control of your deployment odds.
How to get roster-ready if you’ve never closed a claim.
How to build credibility with firms and prove your value when nobody is hiring you without experience.
How to get experience without experience—before you deploy.
How to show fully prepared to do the actual work so you don't blow your one shot.
How to leverage your first claims to launch a lasting career.
How to show up strong and separate yourself from the pack to quickly scale your income and opportunities as a new IA.

Stop waiting for firms to notice you—learn how to proactively get on their radar and stay top of mind.

www.adjustertv.com/deployment

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Adjuster TV

Xactimate Level 3 User Certification Prep is now LIVE inside AdjusterTV Plus 🎉

This is the first and only on-demand Level 3 training available anywhere — designed to help you pass the toughest Xactimate exam with confidence. 

And the best part? 

We’ve made it available at a price that makes sense for working adjusters.

👉 Start today at www.adjustertv.com/plus#join

If you’re serious about becoming a top-tier adjuster, this is your chance to separate yourself from the pack.

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Adjuster TV

🚨 New Quiz for Aspiring Adjusters
💥 Are You REALLY Ready for Hurricane Season?

Most new adjusters think they’re ready to work a storm…
But when 50 claims hit your inbox and policyholders start calling nonstop, reality sets in fast.

👉 I built this 2-minute quiz to help you find out exactly where you stand—and what to fix before deployment season kicks off.

✅ Spot your blind spots
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It’s fast. It’s free. And it might just save your first deployment.

🔗 Take the quiz now → www.adjustertv.com/quiz

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Adjuster TV

Matt will be LIVE!
How New Adjusters Get Hired Fast—And Become the Ones Firms Call First.
The proven path to getting trained, trusted, and deployed—faster than you thought possible.

Wednesday, May 21st | 1PM CT
REGISTER FREE NOW:
www.adjustertv.com/claims

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Adjuster TV

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Insurance adjusting might be the hidden gem you’ve never considered. 

In this video, I break down why this high-paying, fast-start career is a great fit for people in their 40s, 50s, and even 60s — especially if you’ve got maturity, grit, and real-world experience. 

From getting licensed and learning Xactimate to adapting for physical limitations and avoiding common mistakes older adjusters make, this is a straight-shooting, practical look at why it’s *not* too late to start fresh.. 

..and why your age might actually be your biggest advantage.

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Hands on SCOPING TRAINING:
www.pattersonadjustertraining.com/store-1/adjuster…

Spring storms are starting to pop off. Make sure that your time on cat is as profitable as possible for you by learning how to not waste time scoping and inspecting property claims on houses.

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Adjuster TV

I made a huge long list of all the "lessons" I feel like I learned during my 20 years as a cat adjuster. 
Let me know if you like this kind of video. I've got a LOT more lessons where these came from 😂

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Adjuster TV

MAJOR STORMS INCOMING
It's interesting to watch weather reporting messaging tactics evolve. First they started naming winter storms, now they're saying, "180 million people threatened by severe weather."

Back in my day we just called that "spring."

Learn how to earn money helping people recover from disasters like these: adjustertv.com/road-to-the-storm-claims-adjuster-g…

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How are you watching AdjusterTV?

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