February 5, 2026, at 1:15 PM EST
A strong cold front is advancing off the southeastern U.S. coast, generating fresh to gale-force winds off eastern Florida and the Bahamas, with peak seas ranging from 12 to 15 feet. These conditions will spread eastward over the central Atlantic by Friday. Additionally, a deepening low-pressure system off the North Carolina coast will produce gale-force winds and seas peaking at 22 to 30 feet as it moves east. Meanwhile, a significant swell event in the Central Atlantic, with seas of 12 to 16 feet, will continue shifting eastward through tonight.
In the Gulf of America, a cold front extends from Clearwater Beach, Florida, to Tampico, Mexico, producing fresh to near gale-force winds and rough seas. This front will progress south, impacting Gulf waters with improved conditions by evening.
A trough in the Caribbean Sea is causing scattered showers and thunderstorms, accompanied by strong winds. A cold front from the Gulf of America is set to reach the northwest Caribbean shortly, maintaining strong winds and elevated seas through Saturday before subsiding to moderate levels by Sunday.
In the Atlantic Ocean, gale warnings are in effect due to the emerging cold front off northeast Florida, with significant wind and wave activity expected between Bermuda, the Windward Passage, and throughout the basin this weekend. Another reinforcing front is predicted to move off northeast Florida by early Saturday with diminishing effects by early next week.
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.
