Super El Niño is Here. Atlantic Hurricanes? Not So Much

Summer 2026 has set quite a few weather records. It was the hottest season in US history. July was the hottest month. It was also the quietest summer for hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean since satellite weather tracking began. This year, not a single storm has formed to the US’ east with enough wind power (74 mph or higher) to classify as a hurricane. That is the longest such stretch since the 1950s. Among the reasons: Super El Niño.

El Niño is not the sole culprit for North America’s withering heat this summer. It doesn't fully explain why there have been so few storms. However, it sets up the conditions for such a scenario, scientists say.

Kristen Corbosiero is a professor at the University at Albany. She studies the weather. She told ABC News that the Atlantic Ocean is "inhospitable" to hurricanes right now. "It's really staggering," she said.

El Niño translates to “Christ Child” or “The Boy” in Spanish. It refers to a warming of the ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. Winds along the Pacific Ocean’s surface usually blow from east to west. But during an El Niño cycle, they weaken or, in some cases, start blowing the other direction, from west to east. This can bring warm temperatures across North America, Europe, and the globe. Corbosiero said El Niño stifles hurricanes by sapping their strength. It can dry out the air and push storms downward.

Experts warn that hurricane season isn’t over yet. There may still be time for a dangerous storm to spin up in the Atlantic or Gulf of Mexico. But thus far, El Niño has been so “super” strong that it has stopped storms in their tracks.

Reflect: How do you decide what to trust when a forecast turns out to be wrong?