No Atlantic hurricanes yet in 2026, thanks to a record El Nino. Keep the shutters handy: October is Florida's busiest month for landfalls.

Let's call the science straight. In a column Thursday, NBC 6 hurricane specialist John Morales wrote that six Atlantic tropical storms have formed this season and not one has become a hurricane. Fay came closest, peaking at 70 mph. No year since 1950 has gone without an Atlantic hurricane, and the full record back to 1851 shows only 1907 and 1914 with none. Accumulated Cyclone Energy, which measures storm strength and duration together, is at record lows. Morales points to what he calls the strongest El Nino ever recorded. It has kept upper-level winds howling across the Caribbean and the Atlantic's main development region, while sinking, stable air keeps storms from organizing. It isn't Saharan dust, which is running below normal, and it isn't cool water: the Gulf and much of the Atlantic are warmer than normal. Now the practical part. Morales can't rule out a few days when conditions ease, and October is historically Florida's busiest month for tropical landfalls. Keep the kit stocked, test the generator and know where the insurance papers are. Quiet isn't safe. It's just quiet.