[ExI] Why Atlantic hurricanes are missing this year

[BillK]

 Why haven’t we had an Atlantic hurricane yet? Thank El Niño.
The record-breaking oceanic phenomenon isn't just raising global
temperatures — it's also canceling Atlantic tropical cyclones.
Matt Simon   Published     Sep 25, 2026

<https://grist.org/extreme-weather/why-havent-we-had-an-atlantic-hurricane-yet-thank-el-nino/>
Quotes:
Off the Pacific coast of South America, the band of warm water known
as El Niño is mutating into a freak of nature. At more than 3 degrees
Celsius above normal, it’s the warmest El Niño recorded since
satellites started measuring sea surface temperatures half a century
ago, and it won’t peak for several more months, potentially hitting
somewhere around 4 degrees by November or December.
At the same time, this year’s Atlantic hurricane season, which began
in June, is shattering records in the opposite direction. On average,
by this time of year we should have seen four hurricanes, two of them
major. But so far, the Atlantic hasn’t produced even one.

The Atlantic is full of warm water right now, so the hurricanes should
have fuel. But it’s the wind that’s getting in the way: El Niño
increases wind shear over the Atlantic, meaning air moving in
different directions and different speeds at different altitudes.

It’s a gusty mess up there, basically.
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BillK