April 23, 2026, at 12:15 AM EDT
The current tropical weather discussion includes observations in various regions such as the Gulf of America, Caribbean Sea, and the Atlantic Ocean. A monsoon trough is identified along the coast of Guinea, extending southwestward, with significant convection noted south of this trough. In the Gulf, low-level convergence leads to scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms mainly in the central waters, with moderate to fresh easterly winds and moderate seas prevalent in the eastern Gulf. The forecast indicates persistent moderate to fresh winds in the SE Gulf, with high pressure leading to gentle to moderate winds across the entire basin by late week.
In the Caribbean Sea, a stationary front drapes across Hispaniola and eastern Cuba, influencing showers and thunderstorms. Fresh to strong NE winds are observed in the lee of Cuba and the Windward Passage. The forecast anticipates high pressure weakening over the basin, resulting in mainly gentle to moderate winds and slight to moderate seas from Friday through Sunday.
In the Atlantic Ocean, a cold front, extending from a North Atlantic low, is causing scattered showers and moderate to strong winds behind it. In the NE Atlantic, a broad low pressure supports rough seas and moderate to fresh winds. The forecast west of 55W predicts the cold front will move eastward with improving conditions late in the week as the front weakens. High pressure will bring gentle to moderate flows, except for expected rough conditions over the NE waters due to a new cold front arriving by Saturday.
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.
