The monsoon trough enters the Atlantic near 09N13W to 04N19W. The ITCZ continues from 04N19W to 03S42W. Scattered moderate convection is seen from the Equator to 07N and E of 15W, and also from 03S to 01.5N between 37W and 44W.
A cold front meanders northwestward from central Florida to the SE LA coast, with fog banks observed along the FL and LA coasts. A gentle to moderate wind pattern persists across the Gulf of America, with high pressure maintaining a ridge across the basin. Southerly winds are expected to increase this weekend with a cold front moving in, bringing strong S to SW winds and rough seas on Sunday.
In the Caribbean Sea, fresh to strong trade winds continue in the south-central to SW basin, with moderate to fresh NE winds elsewhere. Strong NE winds are expected near the coast of Colombia, and strong winds are forecast in the Windward Passage and south of the Dominican Republic this weekend due to a high-pressure system moving north of the area.
The Atlantic Ocean features a cold front from northeast of Bermuda to near West Palm Beach, Florida, with scattered showers and rough seas. Another trough is near northern Hispaniola, causing showers and thunderstorms along its axis. Fresh to strong trades continue across the eastern Atlantic due to high pressure near 35N30W, with moderate or weaker winds elsewhere. A new cold front is expected to move off the SE U.S. coast on Monday, bringing fresh to strong NE winds and building seas in its wake.
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.
