April 7, 2026, at 6:00 AM EDT
A stationary front is currently positioned from 31N75W to near Melbourne, Florida. This front is expected to drift southeast today and stall through much of the week along a line from Bermuda to the Florida Straits. A low-pressure system will move northeast along this boundary from the Florida Peninsula overnight, reaching north of the area near Bermuda by Thursday. Strong northeastern gales will develop offshore northeastern Florida this morning due to a tight pressure gradient forming between high pressure building from the southeastern U.S. and the cold front. These gales will extend eastward to about 73W, mainly north of 28N, and persist through Wednesday night, generating very rough seas up to 19 feet.
In the Gulf of America, a stationary front is detected from just south of Tampa Bay to a low-pressure center near 24N91W, extending as a cold front toward the Yucatan Peninsula. Fresh to strong northeastern winds and rough seas are present in the northeastern Gulf, expected to increase as the low pressure moves eastward. The front is anticipated to stall over the far southeastern basin into late week, causing strong winds and rough seas over the northeastern Gulf, with near gale conditions possible Wednesday and Thursday offshore Florida.
In the Caribbean Sea, fresh trades are prevailing over the central and eastern basin due to a pressure gradient between high pressure in the central Atlantic and low pressure in South America. Strong high pressure approaching from the western Atlantic is expected to enhance winds, particularly in the south-central basin.
In the Atlantic Ocean, rough seas and strong winds are prevalent north of a stationary front from 31N75W to near Melbourne, Florida. Scattered moderate convection is occurring within 120 nautical miles of the Florida coast. Fresh to locally strong northeast winds are following a weakening cold front in the eastern Atlantic, contributing to rough to very rough seas. These conditions will impact the basin through the end of the week, with marine conditions likely remaining challenging into the weekend.
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.
