Atlantic Hurricane Season 2026: Storms, Names and Forecast
As of September 26, 2026, the Atlantic hurricane season has produced seven named storms (Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal, Dolly, Edouard, Fay and Gonzalo) and still no hurricane, the longest hurricane-free stretch since at least 1966 according to NOAA. Tropical Storms Fay and Gonzalo are active but weakening far from the Americas. The next names on the list are Hanna and Isaias. Three storms affected the U.S. Gulf Coast: Arthur and Bertha with flooding, Edouard with a landfall near the Texas-Louisiana line on September 1. A very strong El Nino is the main brake. NOAA's August update called for 7 to 13 named storms and 2 to 6 hurricanes; the season ends November 30. Sources: National Hurricane Center, NOAA, CBS News, ABC News, weather.com.
The context
The 2026 Atlantic hurricane season has turned a slow start into a historic one. As of September 26, seven named storms have formed and not one of them became a hurricane. The previous satellite-era record for the latest first hurricane, September 11, set by Gustav in 2002 and Humberto in 2013, has been broken, and NOAA calls this the longest stretch without a hurricane since at least 1966.
The storms so far: Arthur in mid-June, Bertha in late July, Cristobal on August 12, a short-lived Dolly on August 27, Edouard from August 31, then Fay, which formed near the Azores on September 20 and came within a few miles per hour of hurricane strength, and Gonzalo, named late on September 24 near the Cabo Verde Islands. On September 26 the National Hurricane Center was tracking Fay and Gonzalo, both weakening and both far from the Americas. The next name on the list is Hanna, then Isaias.
A quiet basin has not meant a harmless one. Arthur fed deadly flooding across Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi in June, prompting a statewide emergency in Louisiana. Bertha made two Louisiana landfalls on July 22 and 23. Edouard came ashore near Johnson Bayou, Louisiana, on September 1 with 60 mph winds and left more than 150,000 customers without power as heavy rain spread over southeast Texas. None of the three was a hurricane.
The main reason for the lull is a very strong El Nino, which drives wind shear across the Atlantic and prevents developing storms from organising. NOAA’s August 6 update anticipated this with 7 to 13 named storms, 2 to 6 hurricanes and 0 to 2 major hurricanes, and a 75 percent chance of a below-normal season. Colorado State University’s August outlook was nine named storms, four hurricanes and one major hurricane. With seven storms and no hurricanes at the end of September, the season is tracking at or below the low end of both.
The season officially runs until November 30, and October regularly produces storms in the western Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. Only two seasons in the long-term record, 1907 and 1914, are known to have ended with no hurricane at all, so whether 2026 joins them remains open. Warnings for any specific coast come from the National Hurricane Center and local weather services. Sources: National Hurricane Center, NOAA, NOAA NESDIS, CBS News, ABC News, CNN, weather.com, Fox Weather, Colorado State University.