Hurricane Season

Atlantic Nears Peak of Hurricane Season With No Hurricanes and Activity 91% Below Normal

The Atlantic hurricane season is approaching what historically is its most active point of the year with an unusually quiet record: five named storms, no hurricanes, no major hurricanes and overall tropical cyclone activity running 91 percent below normal. As of early Monday, the National Hurricane Center listed five named storms for the 2026 Atlantic season — Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal, Dolly and Edouard. None reached hurricane strength. By Sept. 7, the 1991–2020 climatological average would be approximately seven named storms, three hurricanes and one major hurricane. The difference is even more striking when measured through Accumulated Cyclone Energy, or ACE, an index that accounts for both the strength and duration of tropical storms and hurricanes. The Atlantic’s ACE stood at just 4.4 as of Sept. 7 — 91 percent below the normal amount accumulated by this point in the season, according to NHC. And there is little indication of an immediate change. In its 2 a.m. Monday Tropic...