The 2026 Atlantic hurricane season has officially entered extraordinary territory.
More than three months after hurricane season began on June 1, not a single hurricane has formed in the Atlantic basin, extending a streak not seen in 112 years.
According to data from the National Hurricane Center, the Atlantic has produced six named storms so far this year: Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal, Dolly, Edouard and Fay. All six remained tropical storms. As of Sept. 22, the official count stands at six named storms, zero hurricanes and zero major hurricanes.
That makes 2026 the first Atlantic hurricane season since 1914 to make it this far into September without producing a hurricane. The 1914 season ultimately went the entire year without one. Historical hurricane records show that 1907 was the only other Atlantic season with no recorded hurricanes.
The milestone is even more remarkable because September is typically the heart of Atlantic hurricane season. NOAA’s 1991-2020 averages indicate that by this point in the year, the Atlantic would normally have produced approximately 10 named storms, four hurricanes and two major hurricanes.
The overall amount of tropical activity has also been unusually low. Accumulated Cyclone Energy, or ACE, which measures the strength and duration of tropical storms and hurricanes, stood at just 6.2 as of early Sept. 22. That’s 93% below normal for this point in the season, according to the National Hurricane Center.
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The latest storm to fall short of becoming a hurricane was Tropical Storm Fay. Fay formed Sept. 19 and reached maximum sustained winds of 60 knots, or roughly 69 mph, before weakening. A tropical cyclone becomes a hurricane when its maximum sustained winds reach 64 knots, or approximately 74 mph.
By early Sept. 22, Fay’s maximum sustained winds had dropped to 40 mph, and the National Hurricane Center reported that the storm was continuing to weaken.
The quiet season hasn’t come entirely out of nowhere. NOAA predicted in May that the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season would likely be below normal, forecasting 11 to 15 named storms, including five to eight hurricanes and one to three major hurricanes. The agency cited the expected development of El Niño as one of the major factors suppressing activity.
NOAA maintained its below-normal outlook in August as the climatological peak of hurricane season approached.
Still, the season isn’t finished. The Atlantic hurricane season officially continues through Nov. 30, meaning there are more than two months remaining for the basin to produce its first hurricane of 2026.
For now, though, the Atlantic is in territory it hasn’t seen in more than a century.
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