The Atlantic hurricane season is running unusually slowly, with no storm reaching hurricane strength for a record-length period. Multiple outlets report that the basin sets a new mark for the longest start to a season without a hurricane—measured against the satellite era record, which began in the early satellite timeframe.
Experts quoted across the articles attribute the quiet to a strong El Niño developing in the Pacific. They say El Niño shifts wind and atmospheric conditions over the Atlantic in ways that inhibit storm formation and development, even when sea-surface temperatures are warm enough to support hurricanes in other years. Instead of allowing disturbances to organize, the prevailing conditions help suppress or disrupt storms before they intensify.
The outlets mainly differ in how they describe the record and the specific hurricane-strength threshold. PBS NewsHour, for example, refers to storms not reaching winds of 64 mph (a common threshold used to define hurricane strength), while others focus more generally on the “longest start without a hurricane” statistic. All accounts connect the slowdown to the ongoing El Niño and the resulting unfavorable environment over the Atlantic.
