Atlantic hurricane drought breaks a 60-year record in 2026

Thursday 17 September 2026 - 15:15

By: Azzat Manal

Atlantic hurricane drought breaks a 60-year record in 2026

The Atlantic Ocean is experiencing an extraordinary hurricane drought in 2026, breaking a record dating back six decades, according to meteorologists.

No hurricane has formed in the Atlantic basin so far this year, marking an unusually long period of inactivity during the modern era of storm tracking, which began in the mid-1960s.

According to AccuWeather, the current hurricane-free stretch is the longest recorded since 1966. If the Atlantic remains without a hurricane through September 22, 2026, the season would surpass an 85-year-old record for the longest hurricane drought, previously set in 1941, according to the National Hurricane Center.

If the entire Atlantic hurricane season ends on November 30 without a hurricane, 2026 would become only the third year on record in which no hurricanes formed, following 1914 and 1907. However, meteorologists caution that records from the early 20th century may be incomplete because storms far from land were much harder to detect before the satellite era.

The most recent major Atlantic hurricane to make landfall was Hurricane Melissa, a powerful Category 5 storm that struck Jamaica on October 28, 2025.

The current inactivity is particularly notable because the traditional peak of the Atlantic hurricane season occurs around September 10. Neither 2024 nor 2025 had produced a hurricane in the basin by that date, although both seasons later became active.

Alex DaSilva, AccuWeather’s lead hurricane expert, noted that no year during the satellite era has gone entirely without an Atlantic hurricane. He pointed to 1994 as an unusual example, when no hurricanes developed during September or October, although one had already formed earlier in the season and two more emerged in November.

Meteorologists are examining several atmospheric factors that could explain the exceptional lack of activity. AccuWeather hurricane experts have suggested that a strong El Niño pattern may be contributing to the prolonged lull.

El Niño can generate unfavorable wind patterns over the Atlantic, increasing wind shear and making it more difficult for tropical disturbances to organize into hurricanes or tropical storms. At the same time, the phenomenon can support hurricane development in the Pacific.

Despite the historic quiet, the Atlantic basin is not completely free of potential tropical activity. A low-pressure system located southeast of Bermuda has a small but potentially favorable chance of developing into a tropical depression in the coming days.

The unusual 2026 season demonstrates how atmospheric conditions can dramatically influence hurricane formation even during the climatological peak of the season. Whether the current drought continues or tropical activity suddenly returns will depend on how wind patterns, ocean temperatures and other environmental conditions evolve during the remaining weeks of the season.