Storm Monitor
Atlantic hurricane tracker: live basin map and storm alerts
Use this page to monitor tropical systems and severe weather threatening Atlantic Basin, watch where storm activity is clustering, and explore individual event details.
Live surface
Live storm map — Atlantic Basin watch
Track tropical systems and severe weather relevant to Atlantic Basin as they arrive in the basin-wide feed.
Severe weather alerts — Atlantic Basin watch
The live basin-wide severe-weather feed, sorted by latest updates. Storms affecting Atlantic Basin appear here as they are detected.
| Event | Severity |
|---|---|
🌪️ Severe Thunderstorm Warning Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued August 18 at 2:15PM CDT until August 18 at 3:00PM CDT by NWS La Crosse WI | HIGH |
🌪️ Severe Thunderstorm Warning Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued August 12 at 2:07AM CDT until August 12 at 3:00AM CDT by NWS Green Bay WI | HIGH |
🌪️ Severe Thunderstorm Warning Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued August 18 at 3:03PM CDT until August 18 at 4:00PM CDT by NWS La Crosse WI | HIGH |
🌪️ Severe Thunderstorm Warning Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued August 18 at 3:46PM EDT until August 18 at 4:15PM EDT by NWS Jacksonville FL | HIGH |
🌪️ Severe Thunderstorm Warning Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued August 18 at 1:32PM MDT until August 18 at 2:15PM MDT by NWS Billings MT | HIGH |
🌪️ Severe Thunderstorm Warning Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued August 17 at 3:42PM MDT until August 17 at 4:45PM MDT by NWS Glasgow MT | HIGH |
🌪️ Severe Thunderstorm Warning Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued August 18 at 2:28PM CDT until August 18 at 3:30PM CDT by NWS La Crosse WI | HIGH |
🌪️ Severe Thunderstorm Warning Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued August 13 at 12:44AM CDT until August 13 at 1:30AM CDT by NWS North Platte NE | CRITICAL |
🌪️ Flood Alert Flood Warning issued August 14 at 11:34PM EDT until August 15 at 11:30AM EDT by NWS Indianapolis IN | HIGH |
🌪️ Flood Alert Flash Flood Warning issued August 17 at 1:15PM EDT until August 17 at 4:15PM EDT by NWS Charleston WV | HIGH |
Storm hotspots
Regions with the most concentrated storm activity
United States
83
This region is generating a dense cluster of severe-weather updates in the live event system.
South Korea
3
This region is generating a dense cluster of severe-weather updates in the live event system.
Global
2
This region is generating a dense cluster of severe-weather updates in the live event system.
Pacific
1
This region is generating a dense cluster of severe-weather updates in the live event system.
Hong Kong
1
This region is generating a dense cluster of severe-weather updates in the live event system.
Japan
1
This region is generating a dense cluster of severe-weather updates in the live event system.
About this tracker
How the Atlantic Hurricane Season Works
The Atlantic basin — the North Atlantic, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico — runs its official hurricane season from June 1 through November 30, with a sharp statistical peak on September 10. Early- and late-season storms tend to form close to home in the Gulf and western Caribbean, while the heart of the season belongs to Cape Verde storms: waves rolling off West Africa that cross the Main Development Region and can mature into the basin's largest, longest-lived hurricanes.
Two background signals shape every season. Warm sea-surface temperatures provide fuel, and the El Niño/La Niña cycle controls wind shear — La Niña years relax the shear and historically produce busier Atlantic seasons. Modern seasons also show more rapid intensification (a 35+ mph wind increase within 24 hours), which is why a tropical storm two days offshore can be a major hurricane at landfall.
Storms are named from six rotating alphabetical lists maintained by the World Meteorological Organization; names of especially destructive storms are retired permanently. Track every active system on the live hurricane tracker and follow state-level threats on the Florida hurricane tracker.
Reading the Basin: What Matters When a Storm Forms
Three questions determine whether a named storm becomes a coastal emergency. Where did it form? Cape Verde storms give days of warning; Gulf and western Caribbean storms can reach land in 48 hours. What is steering it? The Bermuda–Azores high acts as a guardrail — a strong high drives storms west toward the Caribbean and Gulf, while a weak one lets them recurve harmlessly out to sea. What water lies ahead? Storms crossing the Gulf's deep warm eddies or the Bahamas' heat content are the classic rapid-intensification setups.
Watch the cone of uncertainty correctly: it maps the probable track of the storm's center, not the extent of its impacts — hurricane-force winds, surge, and flooding rain routinely reach far outside the cone, especially on the storm's right-hand side. This page's live feed surfaces severe-weather events across the basin as they are detected, alongside the global disaster tracker's wider hazard picture.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the Atlantic hurricane season peak?
The statistical peak of the Atlantic season is September 10, with roughly half of all basin activity occurring between mid-August and mid-October. June and July storms tend to form in the Gulf and western Caribbean; the big long-track hurricanes are most common in the Cape Verde season of August and September.
What is rapid intensification?
Rapid intensification is an increase in a storm's maximum sustained winds of at least 35 mph within 24 hours. It typically occurs over very warm water with low wind shear, and it is the most dangerous forecasting scenario because a storm can jump multiple categories in the final day before landfall.
How are Atlantic hurricanes named?
The World Meteorological Organization maintains six alphabetical name lists that rotate annually, alternating male and female names. When a storm is especially deadly or costly, its name is retired permanently and replaced — Katrina, Andrew, Ian, and Michael are all retired Atlantic names.
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Last updated 8/18/2026, 8:19:31 PM