2026 Atlantic hurricane season (Avdis)

The 2026 Atlantic hurricane season was the last hyperactive season of the 2024-26 hyperactivity streak in the Atlantic basin, and was also the final year of the most recent positive Atlantic multidecadal oscillation (AMO) era. It featured twenty-one depressions, from which nineteen were named. Nine systems became hurricanes and six became major hurricanes - all Category 4 storms, which set the highest number of storms that strong recorded in a single season, overtaking 1999 and 2005. It officially started on June 1 and ended on November 30. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin. However, the late formation of Teddy in December showed that cyclone formation is possible at anytime of the year.

The first system, a tropical depression that ultimately failed to develop, formed on June 13. The first named storm of the season, Arthur, developed from a subtropical low to a moderately powerful Category 4 hurricane in early August, affecting the Canary Islands as a major hurricane and ultimately landfalling in Morocco as a transitioning tropical storm, bringing heavy rain to the Iberian peninsula afterwards. Soon afterwards, Dolly and Heather became similarly-strong hurricanes, both posing no significant threat to land and recurving out to sea.

The most significant storms of the season was Isaias, another strong Category 4 hurricane that nearly entirely destroyed Havana, which was still reeling from the flooding caused by Melissa the previous year. After re-intensifying, it caused heavy damage in the Bay of Mobile, Alabama and on the rest of the United States Gulf Coast. Laura in October and Sophie in November also caused extreme damage in Jamaica and the coastal regions of Mexico for the former, and in Puerto Rico for the latter.

Storm names
The following list of names was used for named storms that formed in the North Atlantic in 2026. The names not retired from this list will be used again in the 2032 season. This was the same list used in the hyperactive 2020 season, with the exception of the names Fabia, Heather, Kyllian, Paige, Sophie, Viola and Wallace, which replaced Fay, Hanna, Kyle, Paulette, Sally, Vicky and Wilfred. Fabia, Heather, Kyllian, Paige and Sophie were used for the first time in 2026.

Retirement
On April 9, 2027, at the 49th session of the RA IV hurricane committee, the World Meteorological Organization retired the names Arthur, Isaias, Laura and Sophie due to the damages and deaths they caused, and they will not be used again for another hurricane. They will be replaced by Aaron, Idris, Lena and Sadie for the 2032 season, respectively.