{"id":704,"date":"2026-05-21T19:35:48","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T19:35:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=704"},"modified":"2026-05-21T19:35:48","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T19:35:48","slug":"heres-the-official-hurricane-forecast-for-2026-how-many-storms-could-nc-see","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=704","title":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s the official hurricane forecast for 2026. How many storms could NC see?"},"content":{"rendered":"

AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.<\/p>\n

Read our AI Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n

The National Weather Service is predicting a below-normal hurricane season<\/b> in the Atlantic Ocean this year, partly due to warming waters from an expected strong El Ni\u00f1o.<\/p>\n

Read more Settlement with RNC requires NC elections board to publish names of noncitizens<\/a><\/p>\n

This hurricane season, which begins June 1 and continues through Nov. 30, has a 55% chance of being below normal, 35% of being near-normal and 10% change of an above-normal season, according to the official forecast released Thursday, May 21, during a press conference.<\/p>\n

The official forecast is predicting:<\/p>\n

But officials stressed that even one storm can cause destruction and loss of life.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have to be along the coast to be in danger of the impacts of a tropical system, and we\u2019ve seen it over and over again,\u201d said Ken Graham, National Weather Service Director. \u201c… I think people feel pretty immune inland. Go back to Helene. Go back to some of the pictures. Go look at some of the impacts there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Helene struck western North Carolina in September 2024 resulting in 107 storm-related deaths<\/a> and nearly $60 billion in damages, both the deadliest and costliest in state history.<\/p>\n

Other early forecasts,<\/a> including from North Carolina State University and Colorado State University, are also predicting average or below average seasons.<\/p>\n

The Hurricane Center\u2019s<\/a> forecast doesn\u2019t include landfall predictions, and that information would be worked on this summer. Colorado State University calculates the potential impacts of hurricanes for each state along the East Coast.<\/p>\n

That data shows that in 2026 North Carolina has a 54% change of being affected by a named storm, 28% of being affected by a hurricane and 5% change of being affected by a major hurricane.<\/p>\n

Read more Durham police charge driver with 15-year-old bike rider\u2019s death in April crash<\/a><\/p>\n

A stronger and earlier El Ni\u00f1o<\/a>, a climate pattern that usually brings wetter winters to the area, brings more warm water, and strengthens the jetstream, or air currents, moving toward the Atlantic Ocean.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese upper level winds blow right across the tropical Atlantic, the same environment where tropical storms and hurricanes are formed,\u201d said Corey Davis, Assistant State Climatologist at the North Carolina State Climate Office, in a previous interview. \u201cAs we get closer to the peak of hurricane season, those strong winds may actually hamper some of the tropical activity.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Thursday, Davis wrote that hurricane season could be split into two distinct halves with the first being more active and the second quiet due to El Ni\u00f1o.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cAn active start to the hurricane season could be our best chance to see solid rainfall,\u201d Davis wrote on the North Carolina State Climate Office\u2019s blog. \u201cIn June, July, and August, the Carolina coast is one of the preferred areas for tropical storm formation thanks to the warm waters of the Gulf Stream and the tendency of stalled cold fronts offshore to become tropical, as Chantal did last year.\u201d<\/p>\n

The World Meteorological Organization released the list of names to use in the 2026 Atlantic tropical cyclone season. The names are:<\/p>\n

These storms are categorized based on wind speed, which helps predict potential property damage, The News & Observer<\/a> previously reported. Danger from other hazards like flooding, storm surges and tornadoes are not factored into the storm\u2019s categorization.<\/p>\n

Read more Grocery store will open its first NC location in the Triangle. What to expect<\/a><\/p>\n

According to the National Hurricane Cente<\/a>r, storms are classified as:<\/p>\n

Portions of this story were previously published<\/a> in The News & Observer.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

National Weather Service projects 8\u201314 storms and 1\u20133 major hurricanes in 2026; El Ni\u00f1o may lower activity but North Carolina remains at risk.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":703,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-704","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nHere\u2019s the official hurricane forecast for 2026. 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