The National Hurricane Center in Miami has issued a tropical weather discussion focusing on a Caribbean Sea Gale Warning. The pressure gradient between Atlantic high pressure and a low near Colombia will bring fresh to near gale-force trade winds to the central and eastern Caribbean until Monday. Gale-force winds are expected offshore Colombia during the night, causing seas of 8 to 12 feet. For more updates, visit the National Hurricane Center's High Seas Forecast page.
In the Gulf of America, a ridge extends from the Atlantic across Florida, causing moderate to fresh east to southeast winds. This pattern is forecasted to continue, with a broad ridge from the Bermuda High influencing the area and sustaining mostly moderate seas until midweek. The Caribbean will see fresh to strong winds in the east and central regions, with seas of 8 to 11 feet. Winds near Cabo Beata, Dominican Republic, reach 25 to 30 kt. A special notice about a Gale Warning along the Colombian coast is highlighted, with similar wind conditions expected Sunday night, affecting the Gulf of Honduras and Windward Passage. Rough seas are anticipated due to trade wind swell near the Lesser Antilles through Tuesday.
The Atlantic Ocean is experiencing a ridge effect, with high pressure areas situated east of the Azores and near Bermuda. Fresh to strong northeast winds and rough seas affect areas north of 25N and east of 20W, including the Canary Islands. Moderate to fresh easterly winds will remain in this area until Tuesday night, with stronger winds noted north of Hispaniola. Elsewhere, winds are predicted to be moderate.
March 6, 2026, at 7:15 PM ESTThe 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.
