Atlantic Basin
The Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1, but the basin remains unusually quiet. There are currently no active tropical cyclones in the Atlantic, Caribbean Sea, or Gulf of Mexico. Dry air, strong wind shear, and an emerging El Niño pattern are suppressing development.
NOAA’s seasonal outlook calls for:
- 8–14 named storms
- 3–6 hurricanes
- 1–3 major hurricanes
This is considered a potentially below-average season, although it only takes one landfalling storm to create significant impacts.
Eastern Pacific Basin
The Eastern Pacific is much more active than the Atlantic right now.
Current and recent storms include:
- Tropical Storm Amanda – the first named storm of the 2026 hurricane season, formed over open waters west of Mexico and posed no threat to land.
- Tropical Storm Boris – producing heavy rain and flooding concerns across southern Mexico.
- Tropical Storm Cristina – affecting portions of Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala with heavy rainfall, flash flooding, and landslide threats.
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf remains storm-free. A persistent ridge of high pressure is helping keep tropical development suppressed despite warm water temperatures. However, tropical moisture has contributed to periods of heavy rainfall and flooding concerns along portions of the Gulf Coast.
What to Watch Next
Meteorologists are closely monitoring the Central American Gyre, a broad area of low pressure that has helped generate Pacific tropical activity. Sometimes this pattern can later contribute to development in the Caribbean or Gulf of Mexico during June and July.
