Large northwestern swell in the western Atlantic is contributing to very rough seas, ranging from 12 to 16 feet, particularly north of 27N between 46W and 62W. These conditions are expected to move southeastward, affecting as far south as 22N and east to 45W before diminishing below 12 feet later tonight. Meanwhile, a significant north-northwestern swell is affecting the central and eastern Atlantic, merging with trade wind swell and generating seas of 12 to 14 feet from 16N to 20N and east of 40W. This swell will continue to spread southeastward until this afternoon, with rough seas near 12 feet persisting into the upcoming weekend.
Off the coast of Florida, high pressure is creating moderate to strong southerly winds and peak seas of 7 feet from the Mississippi River to Veracruz. With forecasts suggesting moving high pressure across the western Atlantic, fresh to strong southerly flow is anticipated tonight into Thursday ahead of a cold front entering the northwest Gulf by Thursday night.
In the Caribbean Sea, a fading stationary front is observed from the eastern Dominican Republic to Costa Rica-Panama border without precipitation. Fresh to strong northeasterly winds remain near the front, with 7-10 feet seas around Hispaniola. While the front is expected to dissipate today, high pressure will bolster strong trades in the central Caribbean, and mixed northwest swell will continue throughout the upcoming days.
In the Atlantic, a weakening cold front extends from 31N53W to eastern Hispaniola, with scattered showers along it. Behind this front, high pressure is situated east of the northwest Bahamas, resulting in moderate to fresh northeasterly winds and rough seas. A new high pressure ridge is anticipated to develop as the front drifts and dissipates, influencing moderate to rough conditions with seas gradually subsiding through Thursday.
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.
