El Niño to Impact Atlantic Hurricane Season

Weather experts are predicting a slightly below-average Atlantic hurricane season for 2026. The reason: El Niño.

Accuweather is one of the largest private weather forecasting companies in the world. It released its 2026 Atlantic hurricane season forecast last week. It calls for 11 to 16 named storms. Four to seven of those may be hurricanes. Of those, two to four will be Category 3 or higher. The average is 14 named storms, seven hurricanes, and three major hurricanes.

El Niño is a weather pattern in the Pacific Ocean. It occurs when waters there warm up. That can change air currents across the world. It pushes high winds across the US. They blow over the Atlantic. That can make it more difficult for storms to form there in the summer. Accuweather warned, however, that another force might offset El Niño: hotter ocean temps.

Warm water acts like a superfuel for hurricanes. It pushes wind speeds higher. That enlarges the storms. Atlantic waters are already at near-record heat levels. They are predicted to continue to warm throughout the summer. 

"That is why once again we are very concerned about rapid intensification this upcoming hurricane season," Alex DaSilva said. He is Accuweather’s lead hurricane expert.

Reflect: How do you decide what to pay attention to when you hear different predictions about weather?