April 13, 2026, at 5:00 PM EDT
A Gale Warning has been issued by Meteo-France for areas east of 35W, including Agadir and Tarfaya, due to gale force winds and severe gusts caused by a high-pressure system between the Azores and Madeira Islands interacting with low pressures in NW Africa. Rough seas with long-period northwest swell are expected.
In the Gulf of America, high pressure over the western Atlantic is influencing weather patterns, resulting in fresh NE to E winds and moderate seas in the SE Gulf and Straits of Florida. Similar conditions are observed elsewhere due to a thermal trough, with moderate to fresh E to SE winds. This pattern is expected to continue throughout the week.
The Caribbean Sea is experiencing scattered showers and thunderstorms around Hispaniola due to a stationary front and pre-frontal trough. Fresh to strong trades are reported over the south-central Caribbean and near Colombia, with high seas, particularly near Colombia, Cuba, and the Windward Passage. These conditions will persist before easing later in the week.
In the Atlantic Ocean, a stationary front from 31N54W to Hispaniola is generating showers and thunderstorms, with fresh to near-gale NE winds and elevated seas near the front. A 1029 mb high-pressure system between the Azores and Madeira Islands influences the rest of the region. Conditions near the front are expected to calm by the end of the week as the frontal trough dissipates and weakens.
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.
