The 2026 Atlantic hurricane season ends November 30, and the National Hurricane Center will keep issuing tropical outlooks until then. With about three and a half weeks left, the season has produced 10 named storms, one hurricane, and one major hurricane, according to the NHC. A typical season brings 14 named storms, seven hurricanes, and three major hurricanes.
El Niño is the main reason. The Climate Prediction Center declared El Niño conditions in June, and NOAA built its below-normal forecast around it. By the NHC’s count, total storm energy this season is about 83 percent below the 1991-2020 normal for this point in the calendar.
A quiet season is not a harmless one. The first hurricane, Isaias, did not form until the night of October 7. That is the latest first hurricane of the satellite era, and within a day of a record set in 1905. Isaias peaked as a major hurricane with winds near 120 mph. It made landfall near Destin, Florida, on the evening of October 9 as a Category 2 with 105 mph winds. More than 471,000 customers in Florida and Alabama lost power that night, and news reports attributed at least four deaths to the storm in those two states.
Isaias also reached South Carolina. On October 10 and 11, its remnants spawned tornadoes across the state. The National Weather Service confirmed six in Allendale, Barnwell, Aiken, and Newberry counties, two of them rated EF-2 with estimated winds of 115 mph. The Greenwood County Coroner’s Office reported one death when a tree fell on a home. The NWS describes its tornado findings as preliminary.
A hurricane does not have to make landfall near Calhoun County to affect us. These tornadoes struck the day after a Florida Panhandle landfall, hundreds of miles away. Residents are encouraged to have more than one way to receive warnings, including Calhoun CodeRED and a NOAA weather radio, and to keep emergency kits stocked and household plans current through the end of the month.
The season is not finished producing named storms. Subtropical Storm Josephine formed October 21 and stayed offshore. In its 1 a.m. EST outlook on Thursday, November 5, the NHC reported a non-tropical low a few hundred miles south of Bermuda with a 50 percent chance of gradually gaining subtropical characteristics over the next seven days. Conditions were forecast to turn unfavorable by early next week. If it becomes a named storm, it will be Kyle.
1. Sign up for Calhoun CodeRED. It’s the county’s emergency notification system and the fastest way to get alerts directly to your phone.
calhounema.com/calhoun-codered-signup
2. Bookmark calhounema.com. Check it for current OPCON status, current weather, advisories, and updates like this one.
Stay safe, Calhoun County.
Sources:
National Hurricane Center, 2026 Atlantic Hurricane Season summary, updated Nov. 5, 2026: nhc.noaa.gov
National Hurricane Center, Atlantic Tropical Weather Outlook, 1:00 a.m. EST, Nov. 5, 2026: nhc.noaa.gov
NOAA, “NOAA predicts below-normal 2026 Atlantic hurricane season,” May 21, 2026: noaa.gov
NOAA Climate Prediction Center, ENSO Diagnostic Discussion, June 11, 2026: cpc.ncep.noaa.gov
National Weather Service Tampa Bay, Post-Tropical Cyclone Report, Hurricane Isaias: weather.gov
EarthSky, “Hurricane Isaias is the 1st hurricane of the Atlantic season,” Oct. 8, 2026: earthsky.org
Bernama-Xinhua, “Hurricane Isaias Makes Landfall In Florida,” Oct. 10, 2026: bernama.com
CNN, “At least 4 dead as Isaias pushes farther inland across Southeast,” Oct. 2026: cnn.com
WCIV, “Six tornadoes confirmed in South Carolina from Hurricane Isaias’ remnants,” Oct. 13, 2026: abcnews4.com
Yahoo News, “Remnants of Hurricane Isaias killed South Carolina man in his home, coroner says,” Oct. 12, 2026: yahoo.com
National Hurricane Center, Subtropical Storm Josephine Public Advisory, Oct. 21, 2026: nhc.noaa.gov
