The Eastern Pacific Is Having Its Most Powerful Hurricane Season on Record
The Eastern Pacific is having a banner year at the hands of a powerful El Niño. Just as the climate phase has suppressed tropical weather activity in the Atlantic, the Eastern Pacific continues to pop off. Here is a look at the record-breaking season in the Pacific, and why this part of the world's oceans continues to be a hotbed of activity.
Records Continue to Fall Across the Eastern Pacific
There has been no rest for the weary across the Eastern Pacific. Records continue to fall as the impacts of a strengthening El Niño support a flurry of tropical storms and hurricanes. The Eastern Pacific hurricane season runs from May 15 through November 30.
The basin has already produced 24 named storms with nearly a month left in the season. Of those two dozen storms, 13 of them went on to become hurricanes. According to data from Colorado State University (CSU), the Eastern Pacific has had the most Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) of any season on record dating back to 1950.
Hurricane experts routinely look at the ACE metric to determine the overall power of a hurricane season. This metric factors in the top sustained wind of every tropical event throughout the course of its lifespan, spitting out a number that considers both the number of storms and their overall power. In short, ACE provides an overall measure of the strength of the season.
This year's ACE number sits at 354.1 as of November 2. This compares to the previous record of 318.1 over the course of the entire 2018 hurricane season.
This basin has also already seen the most days with hurricanes, coming in at 76.25 days. This shatters the previous 2018 record of 68.25. 2026 also set a new record for the most days with a named storm at 157.25. The previous record of 153.7 came in 1992.
Notable Storms in 2026
There have been several notable storms in 2026. Hawaii has been a frequent target of these storms, a rarity for this island chain. The southwestern U.S. also experienced the remnants of Hurricanes Polo, Rachel, and Simon after the storms ravaged Mexico and then moved to the northeast.
Hurricane Polo is distinguished as the second-strongest hurricane ever to be recorded in this basin. Polo carries the title of the fastest feature to intensify from a tropical depression to a monster Category 5 hurricane.
Over on the other side of the country, the Atlantic has been uncharacteristically quiet. This basin has only seen one hurricane. Isaias came ashore in the Florida Panhandle as a Category 2 storm after becoming the latest first hurricane of the season in early October.
The answer to both of the unusual seasons in each basin lies with El Niño. This climate phase occurs when sea surface temperatures hovering in the equatorial Pacific rise above the norm for a prolonged time. The warming oceans naturally impact storm tracks around the world, affecting tropical activity in both the Atlantic and the Pacific.
While it has already been a record-breaking season in the Pacific, forecasters are warning that there could be more to come. The 24 named storms so far tie the 2014 record but still fall short of 1992's 27 storms and 2015's 26 named storms. The four names left for the Eastern Pacific this year are Winnie, Xavier, Yolanda, and Zeke.
Forecasters with the National Hurricane Center (NHC) are currently monitoring two areas of potential development in the Pacific. An area just off the coast of Nicaragua has a medium chance of taking on formal tropical characteristics in the next 48 hours. Elsewhere, an area of concern south of Hawaii has been assigned a high chance of development over the next seven days.
The takeaway is that it is likely that the Eastern Pacific will see more records fall in the coming weeks. Stay with us as we follow all of the happenings in this basin, including how they may impact the U.S. and Mexico.
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