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1h ago

Atlantic Sets Satellite‑Era Record for Latest First Hurricane

A powerful El Niño has driven record upper‑level wind shear that has suppressed storm formation across the Atlantic and boosted Pacific activity.

FILE - Connor Hughes and Kaylee Swenson walk through floodwaters from the Alafia River caused by Hurricane Milton, Oct. 11, 2024, in Lithia, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)
FILE - Boats sit on dry ground as water levels have dropped on the Danube River in Petrovaradin, Serbia, Aug. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic, File)
FILE - Waves roll in from the Gulf of Mexico toward lots where only empty foundations and debris remain after homes were swept away in Hurricane Milton on Manasota Key in Englewood, Fla., Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)
Janny Vancedarfield sits in front of the debris that was once his house in Florida City, Florida, on September 1, 1992, after it was destroyed by Hurricane Andrew.

Overview

  • The National Hurricane Center confirmed on Sept. 11–12 that no hurricane has formed in the Atlantic this season, the latest first hurricane on record since continuous satellite monitoring began in 1966.
  • Through early September the basin produced five short‑lived named storms and an Accumulated Cyclone Energy value that experts say is the lowest for this point in the season since 1950.
  • Scientists attribute the suppression to a very strong El Niño that has produced unusually strong vertical wind shear over the Main Development Region, plus dry air and Saharan dust that break up developing storms.
  • The same El Niño pattern has driven well‑above‑normal activity in the eastern and central Pacific, producing more hurricanes than usual and recent impacts to Hawaii.
  • Forecasters caution the quiet start is not a guarantee of safety: the NHC sees no systems likely this week, but late‑season Gulf or near‑U.S. development remains possible and some forecasters say the season could finish with no Atlantic hurricanes.