This year's Atlantic hurricane season has seen no hurricanes form by mid-September, marking one of the quietest seasons in about 75 years. This unusual calm is attributed to El Niño conditions reaching super status, with ocean temperatures surpassing two degrees Celsius above average. While fewer storms have formed due to increased wind shear disrupting tropical development, Maritimers are advised to remain vigilant as warmer global temperatures increase the risk of extreme weather events like heavy rainfall and flooding.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-15,
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Hurricane season is looking quite different this year in the Maritimes, thanks to warming waters down south.
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season → look → waters
So far, no hurricane has formed in the Atlantic basin despite the fact that the climatological peak of hurricane season, Sept. 10, has already passed.
And as of Monday, El Niño has officially reached super status, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
uncertain
Niño → form → Oceanic
For Maritimers, who brace for hurricane season each year, it means the active storms are on hiatus.
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storms → brace → hiatus
“Right now, we’re going the longest we’ve gone in about 75 years without a hurricane forming yet,” said Ian Hubbard, a meteorologist with the Canadian Hurricane Centre.
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Hubbard → go → Centre
“It was 1941, the last time we went this amount of time in the Atlantic hurricane season without a storm actually becoming a hurricane … and that is due, in part, to effects of El Niño.
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that → go → Niño
To declare an El Niño, ocean temperatures in a particular region of the tropical Pacific must generally clear 0.5 degrees Celsius above the long-term average.
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temperatures → declare → average
The informal threshold that classifies it as a super El Niño is two degrees.
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that → classify → Niño
A super El Niño can lead to more vertical wind shear, or a difference in winds in the atmosphere based on height.
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Niño → lead → height
“That actually is not a very good thing for tropical storms when they’re trying to form.
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they → try → storms
So it tends to really rip them apart at the higher levels,” said Hubbard.
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Hubbard → tend → levels
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Hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.
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season → get → Nov.
The Atlantic basin has had only five named storms so far this year, while an average season has about 14 storms and seven hurricanes, says Hubbard.
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Hubbard → have → storms
The Canadian Red Cross is heavily involved in hurricane preparations and relief efforts across the region, but this year, their efforts have been focused elsewhere.
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efforts → involve → region
“It is a different feeling, I guess, compared to previous years.
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I → guess → years
But that doesn’t stop the work that our organization does to be prepared to respond to natural disasters of any kind,” said Ancel Langille, the Canadian Red Cross’ emergency management director.
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Langille → stop → kind
“A week and a half ago, we were actively responding in Cape Breton when they had that extreme amount of rainfall.
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they → respond → rainfall
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) forecast this past January that this year “will likely be among the hottest years on record.”
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year → forecast → record
Combined with the warmer global temperatures that El Niño causes, this can amplify conditions like drought, heavy rain and flooding, and warmer-than-usual winters.
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this → combine → drought
For the Red Cross, that heavy rainfall earlier this month, which claimed the life of a 46-year-old woman in Richmond County, highlights the importance of emergency preparedness regardless of the forecast.
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which → claim → forecast
“Now is the time to prepare before the storms hit,” said Langille.
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Langille → prepare → ?
In a statement, the province’s Department of Emergency Management says that while a quieter hurricane season is “certainly welcome news for Nova Scotians,” it doesn’t reduce the potential impact of a single storm.
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it → say → storm
“It only takes one hurricane or post-tropical storm affecting our province to cause significant damage, disrupt essential services, and impact communities,” the department said.
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department → take → communities
“Hurricanes are also not the only risk Nova Scotia faces in terms of emergencies; the recent flooding in Cape Breton is a prime example of the devastation any type of storm can cause.”
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type → face → storm
Hubbard echoes that sentiment, saying it’s “important to pay attention.”
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it → echo → attention
“Even though it’s been quiet and we’re expecting it to remain below normal this season, we still have a month and a half of what we consider to be the busiest time of year,” he said.
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he → expect → year
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