International News: El Niño keeps Atlantic quiet as Hurricane season reaches peak

By Zoila Palma:  The Atlantic hurricane season reached its climatological peak on Thursday with an unusually quiet basin, as 2026 has yet to produce a single hurricane.

The National Hurricane Center said no tropical development is expected in the Atlantic over at least the next seven days, with only five named storms—Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal, Dolly and Edouard—forming so far, all remaining tropical storms.

If no hurricane develops by Saturday, the season will set a new record for the latest first hurricane in the satellite era, surpassing the previous record of September 11, set by Gustav in 2002 and Humberto in 2013.

By this point in an average Atlantic season, the basin typically produces about eight named storms and three hurricanes. Meanwhile, the eastern Pacific has recorded 14 named storms and five hurricanes, well above its average pace.

Forecasters say the unusual contrast between the two basins is being driven largely by a potentially historic El Niño event.

The climate pattern typically increases vertical wind shear over the tropical Atlantic, making it more difficult for hurricanes to form, while creating more favorable conditions for tropical development in the eastern Pacific. NOAA forecaster Matthew Rosencrans said wind shear has been particularly high across the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and deep tropical Atlantic.

Despite the quiet start, forecasters warn that the Atlantic season is far from over.

Roughly 60% of Atlantic tropical activity typically occurs after September 10, and past years have shown that powerful hurricanes can develop late in the season.

NOAA currently projects a 75% chance that the strengthening El Niño will reach historic strength between October and December, while the Atlantic and eastern Pacific hurricane seasons officially continue through November 30.

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