February 6, 2026, at 1:15 PM EST
A cold front is causing gale-force winds in the Western and Central Atlantic, particularly north of 27N between 60W-75W. Rough seas are reported north of 23N and west of 60W, with very rough conditions reaching up to 16 ft. A new low-pressure system is expected to bring more severe conditions, with seas reaching 30-33 ft north of 28N between 50W-65W as it moves northeast. Improvement in wind conditions is expected by Sunday night, but large swells will persist into early next week.
A high-pressure system is supporting gentle to moderate winds across the Gulf of Mexico, with seas ranging from 1-9 ft. A cold front will bring fresh to strong NW winds to the eastern Gulf over the weekend. High pressure will dominate the weather pattern into early next week.
The Caribbean is experiencing fresh to strong northerly winds and 7-10 ft seas behind a cold front stretching from Haiti to southeast Jamaica. Winds will remain strong in the W and SW Caribbean, decreasing slightly by tonight. By early next week, high pressure north of the area will bring fresh to strong NE winds between Colombia and Hispaniola.
Outside the gale warning areas, the Atlantic is experiencing strong to near-gale winds north of 23N and rough seas, especially in the east Atlantic with decaying NW swell. Gale-force winds and very rough seas are expected to persist north of 27N as cold fronts merge and move east. Another front will reinforce these conditions, bringing gale to near-storm-force winds and over 20 ft seas this weekend, with gradual improvement early next week.
The 2026 Hurricane season starts on June 1, 2026 in
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has forecasted an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season for 2025.
Named Storms: 13 to 19
Hurricanes: 6 to 10
Major Hurricanes (Category 3 or higher): 3 to 5
Accumulate Cyclone Energy (ACE): 95% to 180% of the median
This forecast indicates a 60% chance of an above-normal season, a 30% chance of a near-normal season, and a 10% chance of a below-normal season.
Hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30Key: Active Past Future
*Press/click the storm name to view additional details2020 - 30 named storms, 14 hurricanes
Hurricane Katrina (2005) - $125 billion
Harvey (2017) - $125 billion
Hurricane Patricia (2015) - 215 mph (345 km/h)
Hurricane Allen (1980) - 190 mph (305 km/h)
The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale is a 1 to 5 rating system that classifies hurricanes based on their sustained wind speeds and the potential damage they can cause. It helps communicate the intensity of hurricanes and the likely impacts on structures and environments. The scale does not account for factors like storm surge or rainfall, focusing only on wind speeds.
Watching the Tropics was originally built as a personal storm tracker with only the most important charts for the Atlantic hurricane basin. Numerous sites are available for tracking hurricanes, but Watching the Tropics minimizes extra "noise" and shows only what you need.
Designed in Florida by
"Watching the tropics" refers to monitoring tropical weather systems, such as tropical depressions, tropical storms, and hurricanes, in regions close to the equator. Meteorologists and weather enthusiasts often use this phrase during hurricane season to indicate that they're keeping an eye on developing weather systems that could potentially strengthen and impact areas like the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and Atlantic Ocean.
Websites, news outlets, or weather services also use "Tropics Watch" to keep the public informed about the latest developments in the tropics, especially during peak hurricane season.
An "invest" refers to an area of disturbed weather that meteorologists are investigating for potential tropical development. The term "invest" is short for "investigation area."
When an area is designated as an invest, it is given a number (between 90 and 99) followed by the letter "L" for systems in the North Atlantic or "E" for systems in the Eastern Pacific. For example, "Invest 91L" would refer to the 91st area of interest in the Atlantic basin for that season.
The designation of an invest allows meteorologists to focus their resources on a specific area, utilize specialized forecasting models, and issue updates as needed.
A tropical depression is a type of tropical cyclone with maximum sustained winds of less than 39 mph (34 knots or 63 km/h).
Key characteristics:
It's the first stage of development in the tropical cyclone classification used by the National Hurricane Center, followed by tropical storm and then hurricane.
