Simon King
Lead weather presenter, BBC Weather
For the first time in more than 30 years, a hurricane has not formed in the Atlantic throughout September – normally the most active month for hurricane activity.
The biggest reason for this is El Niño, which traditionally stifles activity in the Atlantic but brings a very active season in the eastern North Pacific. Strong winds blowing at different speeds and directions at higher altitudes rip apart thunderstorms, preventing them from growing into tropical storms or hurricanes.
With a very strong El Niño forecast, the US National Hurricane Center in May predicted a total of eight to 14 named storms. Of those, three to six were predicted to become hurricanes, with one to three becoming major hurricanes.
This year marks the latest date on record since the start of the satellite era (1960s onward) where no hurricane has formed in the North Atlantic.
There were, however, four named tropical storms that formed in September: Edouard, Fay, Gonzalo and Hanna. All but Edouard stayed out in the open waters of the Atlantic.
Image source, gettyHurricane Helene, a category four hurricane, hit Florida’s gulf coast in September, 2024
