Every year, the Atlantic Hurricane Season begins on June 1 and continues through November 30.
While the hurricane season has just begun, be aware that the peak of the season occurs much later in Mid September. On average, the peak of the Atlantic Hurricane Season is on September 10.
This year, a developing El Niño will bring warmer waters off the Pacific coast of South America, near the Equator. These warmer waters have a tendency to produce increased wind shear over the Atlantic Ocean, leading to unfavorable development of tropical storms and hurricanes.
As a result, NOAA is predicting a lower than average Atlantic Hurricane Season for 2026.
With that said, El Niño doesn’t mean “no” hurricanes!
In August 1992 -- an El Niño summer -- Hurricane Andrew made landfall near Miami, Florida as a Category 5 storm. Andrew became the cautionary tale, and it is why meteorologists and emergency managers often say “it only takes one storm” when referencing a “quiet” hurricane season forecast.
Anything Brewing In the Atlantic?
As of this writing, the National Hurricane Center notes that, “tropical cyclone activity is not expected during the next 7 days.” Therefore, the Atlantic Basin remains quiet, for now.
While a small number of tropical storms and hurricanes form in June, they tend to develop in the Gulf as well as the coast of Georgia and South Carolina.
The image below illustrates the location for June tropical storm development.
The image below illustrates the location for June hurricane development.
Once a tropical storm develops (sustained winds 39 mph to 73 mph), it receives a name. Once a tropical storm is at 74 mph or greater, it becomes a hurricane.
Below is the list of Tropical Storm and Hurricane names for the 2026 Atlantic Hurricane Season.