A Caribbean Gale Warning is in effect due to a strong pressure gradient between the Atlantic Ridge and the Colombian Low, causing trade winds off Colombia and over the Gulf of Venezuela to reach minimal gale-force. Expect winds tonight through early Saturday morning, and again Saturday night through Sunday morning, with seas peaking between 12 to 15 ft north of Colombia.
Several tropical waves are being tracked: an eastern Atlantic wave near 01N30W to 10N26W, a central Atlantic wave near 04N51W to 17N44W, and a wave along 78W moving west. The wave in the western Caribbean has crossed into the Eastern Pacific.
In the Gulf of America, showers and isolated thunderstorms are noted in the Bay of Campeche and along the coast of Florida. Moderate to fresh winds are observed in the Gulf W of 90W and the Florida Straits. A ridge will keep the region under mostly gentle to moderate anticyclonic winds, with fresh NE to E winds off the Yucatan Peninsula at night. A weak frontal boundary will enter the northeast Gulf Mon night and Tue.
In the Caribbean Sea, strong easterly trade winds and rough seas dominate due to a pressure gradient between the Atlantic ridge and the deep tropics. Gale-force winds are expected off Colombia at night, and fresh to strong winds in the Gulf of Honduras. Moderate or lighter winds prevail elsewhere. A ridge north of the islands will continue to cause strong winds in the central Caribbean.
The Atlantic Ocean features scattered showers and thunderstorms north of the Leeward Islands due to an upper-level shortwave. A broad ridge, anchored by a 1030 mb high near 34N49W, supports moderate to fresh winds across the tropical Atlantic. A nearly north-to-south aligned surface trough will move across the Atlantic through Sun, while a subtropical ridge maintains its hold. A weak cold front will reach northeastern Florida waters Mon night.
June 26, 2026, at 2:15 PM EDTThe National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has forecasted an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season for 2025.
Named Storms: 8 to 14
Hurricanes: 3 to 6
Major Hurricanes (Category 3 or higher): 1 to 3
Accumulate Cyclone Energy (ACE): 95% to 180% of the median
Primary Influencing Factor: Developing El Niño conditions expected to suppress Atlantic storm activity
This forecast indicates:
Despite the lower forecast, NOAA emphasizes that it only takes one hurricane making landfall to create a major disaster, and residents in hurricane-prone areas should still prepare as usual for the season.
Hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30Key: Active Past Future
*Press/click the storm name to view additional detailsDespite fewer total storms than forecasted, the 2025 season produced several extremely intense hurricanes, including three Category 5 systems, making it one of the more powerful Atlantic seasons in recent history.
2020 - 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.
