April 30, 2026, at 1:15 AM EDT
The monsoon trough axis enters the Atlantic near 11N15W, with the ITCZ extending from 03N15W to 01S46W. Scattered moderate convection is observed from 04N to 06N between 16W and 20W.
In the Gulf of Mexico, a 1013 mb high pressure is centered near 26N85W with varying wind and sea conditions across the region. Smoke from fires in southern Mexico limits visibility to 3-5 miles in certain areas. A diurnal trough will cause fresh to strong winds in the evenings off the Yucatan Peninsula through Friday. A cold front will move off the Texas coast on Friday night, bringing fresh to gale-force winds and 12 ft seas, causing scattered storms ahead of the front.
East of the Gulf, high pressure sustains trades, leading to fresh to strong trades off Colombia and Venezuela, with seas between 5-8 ft. Moderate trades are expected across the region, with fresh east winds in the Gulf of Honduras through Saturday night.
In the Atlantic, a 1015 mb high pressure near 27N72W is observed, with moderate winds off northeast Florida and a cold front between 31N45W and 24N60W. Fresh to strong NW winds follow this front. Another cold front will move off northeast Florida on Thursday and weaken by Friday. A third front is expected on Saturday, stalling by Sunday night with low pressure moving along it.
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.
