#Caribbean | Hometown Forecast Services

Atlantic Hurricane Season Starts Monday

Atlantic hurricane season officially starts on Monday June 1 and runs through November 30, and most forecasts are showing the potential for a less active season, thanks to a developing El Nino in the Pacific.

List of names for storms that form during the 2026 Hurricane Season. Image provided by NOAA.

The 2025 season was a near normal season by the numbers, with 13 named storms, 5 hurricanes, and 4 major hurricanes. The season got off to a slower start than recent years, with only 3 storms through the end of July, and 6 through late August. The normal peak of hurricane season is late August and the first 3 weeks of September, but 2025 featured a complete absence of activity during that period. After Tropical Storm Fernand dissipate on August 27, there were no storms at all until Tropical Storm Gabrielle formed on September 17. That was the first of 7 named storms over the next 6 weeks, but once Hurricane Melissa dissipated on Halloween, there were no additional storms for the rest of the season. Hurricane Melissa was not only the strongest storm of the season, it was one of the strongest ever recorded in the basin. While stalling out south of Jamaica it rapidly strengthened into a Category 5 storm with maximum sustained winds near 190 mph, and a central pressure of 892mb not long before slamming into western Jamaica. The sustained winds of 190 are tied with 2019’s Hurricane Dorian, and the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane for the strongest on record in the Atlantic basin. The lowest central pressure of 892mb is tied with the 1935 Labor Day storm for the 3rd lowest on record in the Atlantic, trailing only the 882mb reading in 2005’s Hurricane Wilma, and the 888mb reading in 1988’s Hurricane Gilbert. It also is tied with the 1935 Labor Day storm for the lowest pressure on record at landfall. After the season was over, the name Melissa was retired and removed from the 6-year list of storm names. It will be replaced by Molly in 2031. Melissa is the 100th storm name to be retired in the Atlantic.

Radar loop showing Hurricane Melissa approaching Jamaica. Loop provided by Brian McNoldy, Univ. of Miami, Rosenstiel School.

Only one storm made landfall in the US in 2025 – Tropical Storm Chantal, which had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph when its center moved ashore near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina early on July 6. The one landfall is a welcome change from recent years that featured multiple storms making landfall in the US, many of them as hurricanes. In 2021, a total of 8 tropical systems made landfall in the United States, but only 2 at hurricane strength.

2025 was a less active hurricane season than previous years. Image provided by the National Hurricane Center.

Forecasts for the upcoming season are calling for a season that features below normal activity, due to a developing El Nino in the Pacific Ocean. In fact, there are many forecasts out there calling for a very strong El Nino. In general, where there is an El Nino present, activity in the Atlantic is suppressed, due mainly to increasing wind shear. However, this is not always the case, as El Nino is just one factor. In 2023, we had a strong El Nino in place for much of the hurricane season, and there were 20 named storms that season, making it the fourth most-active season on record. Of those 20 storms, 7 became hurricanes, and 3 were major hurricanes. Hurricane Idalia slammed into the Florida Big Bend region as a Category 3 storm. Sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic are below normal for a large portion of the basin right now, especially in the Main Development Region, but they are forecast to warm to near to above normal levels, which tends to result in more storms.

Sea surface temperatures are below normal right now across much of the Tropical Atlantic and much of the Caribbean. Image provided by Tropical Tidbits.

NOAA issued their seasonal hurricane outlook on May 21, and it calls for a 55 percent chance for a below normal season, a 35 percent chance for a near normal season, and just a 10 percent chance for an above normal season. Most of the other hurricane outlooks issued by various outlets are also expecting a near to below normal season, due to the signals mentioned above. An average season consists of 14.4 named storms, of which 7.2 become hurricanes and 3.2 become major hurricanes (Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson scale). NOAA’s forecast for this season calls for 8-14 named storms, 3-6 hurricanes, and 1-3 major hurricanes. The Tropical Meteorology Project at Colorado State, the first group to forecast how active a hurricane season would be, originally led by the late Dr. Bill Gray, will issue their updated forecast on June 10. Their initial forecast from April called for a below average season, with 13 named storms, 6 hurricanes, and 2 major hurricanes.

Tropical activity in the Atlantic is expected to be below normal this season. Image provided by NOAA.

Despite the early start for the many of the past several years, the average date for the first named storm in the Atlantic is still June 20, and the average date for the first hurricane is August 11. Over 97% of all named storms in the Atlantic form between June 1 and November 30. Most early season storms tend to be on the weaker side, as water temperatures are cooler, and wind shear is usually a little stronger. A hurricane hasn’t made landfall in the United States before July 1 since Hurricane Bonnie came ashore as a minimal hurricane near the Texas/Louisiana border on June 26, 1986.

Based on climatology, the most likely spots for an early season storm are off the Southeast coast, in the Gulf of Mexico, or the northwestern Caribbean. Image provided by the National Hurricane Center.

The number of storms that form in any given season has no correlation on how many storms (if any) will impact the United States. In 2010, 19 named storms were observed in the Atlantic, 12 of them became hurricanes, and 5 were major hurricanes. Only one storm made landfall in the United States, and that was Bonnie, which was a minimal tropical storm at landfall. In 1990, there were a total 14 named storms, 8 of them hurricanes and 1 major hurricane. Not a single one of them made landfall in the United States. On the flip side, only 7 named storms formed in 1992, and the first one didn’t develop until August 16. That storm, however, was named Andrew, and it made landfall just south of Miami as a category 5 storm. It only takes one storm to ruin your entire year.

Virtually the entire Atlantic and Gust Coast are susceptible to a direct strike from a hurricane. Image provided by the National Centers for Environmental Information

As always, you should get your weather information from a trusted source, especially when dealing with tropical systems. It’s always best to prepare ahead of the season. Chances are, you won’t have anything to worry about, but in case you do, it’s always good to be prepared.

Protected: Tropical Outlook

Saharan Dust Suppressing Tropical Activity in the Atlantic

Atlantic hurricane season is off to a slow start, which is fairly normal despite the early start in many recent years, and one of the main reason has been Saharan Dust.

Saharan Dust and dry air covers much of the Tropical Atlantic and Caribbean. Image provided by the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

In the mid-latitudes, most systems move from west to east, but in the tropics, it’s the opposite, with systems moving from east to west. We see this all the time with tropical waves and once they develop, most tropical systems head towards the west across the Atlantic. Early in the season though, these easterly winds will send large plumes of sand and dust off the Saharan Desert and into the Atlantic, where the prevailing winds carry them across the ocean.

Satellite loop showing a plume of Saharan dust crossing the Atlantic and Caribbean. Loop provided by NOAA.

As these plumes move across the Atlantic they suppress shower activity, preventing any storms from getting organized. They also limit the amount of sunlight getting through, which keeps the ocean temperatures a little cooler, especially in the Main Development Region of the central and eastern Atlantic. Ocean temperatures in this region are generally too cool for any systems to develop until we get into the latter half of July in a typical season. Tropical systems need to be over water that is 26 Celsius (79 Fahrenheit) or warmer to maintain their intensity or strengthen.

Current sea surface temperatures across the Atlantic. Image provided by Tropical Tidbits.

As the Saharan Dust reaches the Caribbean, it can have detrimental effects on the islands. In additional to produce poor air quality, the lack of cloud cover and shower activity results in very warm to hot temperatures across the islands. Instead of high temperatures in the upper 80s to near 90, temperatures can soar into the lower to middle 90s, with heat indices well in excess of 100. Some of these plumes can make their way into the Gulf and across parts of Florida, the Southeast, and Texas, resulting in hazy conditions.

Model forecast for the progression of Saharan dust across the tropics. Loop provided by WeatherBell.

While water temperatures are not yet warm enough to support tropical systems across the Main Development Region, they are plenty warm enough across the Caribbean, Gulf, and off the Southeast Coast near the Gulf Stream. At this time of year, we typically see clusters of showers and thunderstorms from southern Mexico across Central America and into the western Caribbean. These storms are part of the larger Central American Gyre, a very broad rotating area of showers and thunderstorms that can result in very heavy rain and flooding in parts of Central America. Sometimes you’ll see activity break off from this gyre and develop into a tropical depression or tropical system on either the Caribbean side or the eastern Pacific side of Central America. While nothing is imminent, this is an area to watch for development early in the season.

Most early season storms will likely develop in either the Gulf, Western Caribbean, or near the Bahamas. Image provided by the National Hurricane Center.

Another area that needs to be watched is near the Bahamas and off the Southeast coast. As cold fronts stall out and dissipate in this region, they can leave behind clusters of showers and thunderstorms. If they stay over the warm waters of the Gulf Stream long enough, they could eventually develop into a system. This is something that we are watching at the moment. Showers and thunderstorms have been producing heavy rain across Florida for the past few days, and will slowly drift northeastward this week. Some of the forecast models show the potential for a weak area of low pressure to develop off the Southeast coast, but whether or not it is tropical is yet to be determined. The system is likely to remain very weak, though it may produce some heavy rain and gusty winds for portions of the Carolinas, but it will get absorbed by another cold front this weekend, which will usher it out to sea and away from the East Coast.