Memorial Day weekend is ushering in the unofficial start of summer with two competing realities for travelers: hurricane forecasters expect a quieter Atlantic season than recent years, but Americans heading out for summer vacations are facing rising travel costs fueled in part by global instability and higher fuel prices.
NOAA this week predicted a below-normal 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, citing the development of El Niño conditions in the Pacific, which typically help suppress hurricane formation by increasing wind shear over the Atlantic basin. Forecasters expect between eight and 13 named storms this season, fewer than the historically active stretch of recent years. Still, meteorologists caution that “below normal” does not mean risk-free, especially with ocean temperatures remaining unusually warm in parts of the Atlantic.
