June 24, 2026, at 5:00 AM EDT
An eastern Atlantic tropical wave near 30W is moving westward with scattered moderate convection observed. Another wave near 56W brings scattered moderate to isolated strong convection, while one near 63W is causing showers and thunderstorms near Venezuela and the ABC Islands.
The Atlantic monsoon trough and ITCZ are active, with scattered convection south of Guinea-Bissau and along the coast of Sierra Leone and Liberia. In the Caribbean, the monsoon trough from the East Pacific causes isolated storms near Costa Rica and Panama.
In the Gulf of America, a weak upper-level trough brings heavy showers and storms at the Bay of Campeche, with gentle winds and moderate seas elsewhere. The western Atlantic ridge will maintain light to moderate anticyclonic winds with fresh NE to E winds pulsing off Yucatan Peninsula through the weekend.
Across the Caribbean Sea, a strong trade-wind pattern persists, causing significant convection near Jamaica. Strong NE to E winds and rough seas continue in the south-central basin, and fresh to locally strong winds in other parts. These conditions are expected to persist through Thursday, with potential gale-force winds near Colombia on Friday night.
In the Atlantic, a surface trough causes storms off northeastern Florida, while an upper-level low near 27N64W triggers convection further east. Moderate to fresh winds and moderate seas are noted across the central tropical Atlantic. The broad ridge influences wind patterns, bringing moderate to fresh trade winds south of 22N, and moderate or lighter winds elsewhere.
The 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.
