March 10, 2026, at 1:15 AM EST
Gale warnings are in effect for the eastern Caribbean and parts of the central Atlantic. In the Caribbean, fresh to strong winds will prevail due to the pressure gradient between the Atlantic ridge and the Colombian low. Gale-force winds are expected offshore of northwestern Colombia during nighttime hours, with seas reaching 8 to 12 feet.
In the central Atlantic, a Gale Warning is in place for the Agadir and Tarfaya forecast zones, with northerly gales and severe gusts confirmed by recent scatterometer data. The monsoon trough and ITCZ are generating scattered showers and thunderstorms in the Atlantic, particularly affecting the coast of Africa.
Across the Gulf of America, a surface ridge maintains moderate easterly winds, with potential fresh to strong winds near the northern Yucatan and western Gulf. A cold front is anticipated to impact the northwestern Gulf midweek, bringing fresh to strong winds and building seas.
The pressure gradient in the Caribbean will support fresh to strong trades, with winds offshore of Colombia pulsing to gale-force. The forecast calls for the approach of a weak cold front later this week, which will slightly improve marine conditions.
In the Atlantic, an upper-level low triggers scattered thunderstorms, while strong trade winds affect areas including the Canary Islands. Southerly winds are expected to develop off northern Florida ahead of a cold front. This front will move offshore by Thursday night, reshaping weather patterns as it weakens near Bermuda by Friday, with high pressure building 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.
