Overview
- No hurricanes have formed in the Atlantic through mid-September 2026, a run that forecasters say is the longest stretch without a hurricane since routine satellite tracking began.
- Weather analysts point to a strengthening El Niño that increases upper-level wind shear over the Atlantic and makes it harder for tropical systems to organize and intensify.
- The National Hurricane Center said the basin would reach an 85-year benchmark if no hurricane appears by Sept. 22 and warned that a hurricane-free year would only occur if none form by the season’s Nov. 30 end.
- Forecasters are still monitoring a trough southeast of Bermuda that the National Hurricane Center gives a 0% chance of forming in two days and about a 40% chance over seven days.
- Historical records before the satellite era are incomplete, so experts urge continued monitoring and preparedness because late-season storms remain possible and Pacific activity has been higher this year.