More than three months after the official start of the 2026 hurricane season, a remarkably quiet Atlantic basin has just set a new record. On September 21, the tropical Atlantic broke a 112-year-old milestone for the latest date in recorded history without the formation of a hurricane. The last time the season made it this far into the calendar without producing a hurricane was in 1914.
Earlier in the month, the 2026 season also made history by shattering a 60-year record for the latest start to hurricane formation since satellite tracking began in 1966.
“This unprecedented quiet period is primarily driven by a very strong El Niño producing high wind shear that prevents Atlantic storms from organizing,” The Weather Channel wrote in a post about the news.
If this year’s Atlantic season makes it to November 30th without a hurricane, it will also join two other years in recorded history to achieve a zero-hurricane status: 1914 and 1907.
“With the peak of hurricane season on average on Sept. 10, it’s unusual not to have a hurricane spinning on that date, but it also happened in 2024 and 2025. Labor Day 2026 also passed with no hurricanes or tropical storms in the Atlantic for the third year in a row. The last time that happened was 1937-1939,” an AccuWeather report reads.
At the time of publication, there have only been six total named storms this year, but none have managed to cross the 74-mph wind threshold to reach hurricane status.
Why haven’t any hurricanes formed?
Initially, forecasters predicted a below-average season with the anticipated arrival of a strong El Niño. Primary signs of the quiet hurricane season point to the El Niño phase in the Pacific, which has produced increased vertical wind shear across the Atlantic basin. This means that winds at different altitudes are blowing at different speeds and directions, effectively decapitating storm clouds before they can organize into hurricanes.
Despite the record-breaking season, residents shouldn’t let their guards down. The Atlantic hurricane season runs through November 30th and while the peak of the season has come and gone, the Gulf of Mexico features lower wind shear than the open Atlantic, leaving the door open for late-season development.
You can stay up-to-date on storm-related forecasts via the National Hurricane Center’s website.
