The Atlantic Ocean is experiencing an unprecedented lull this hurricane season, driven by a powerful El Nino event that is suppressing storm development. Data from the National Hurricane Center shows that no hurricanes have developed so far this year, nor are any expected to emerge over the coming week, despite this period typically representing the height of seasonal activity. To date, only five brief, minor tropical storms have been recorded.
As of Saturday, 2026 established a satellite-era record for the longest period into a season without a single storm attaining hurricane-force winds of 64 mph (103 kph), according to Nick Novella, a meteorologist at the government's Weather Prediction Center. While historical data prior to the 1950s lists a few years with similar late starts, forecasters consider those earlier records unreliable due to incomplete oceanic tracking.
