WGCU’s Leslie Hudson reports the historic pause, and Florida’s risk has fallen but not disappeared
The Quietest Hurricane Season on Record: No Atlantic Hurricanes by October, Eight Named Storms and One Poet Who Keeps the Shutters Handy
WGCU’s Leslie Hudson reports the historic pause, and Florida’s risk has fallen but not disappeared
By Lotte Heidenreich, poet and Meals on Wheels volunteer, Florida
Thursday, Barometer, Porch
Dear diary, Leslie Hudson wrote for FPREN and WGCU on 2 October 2026 that the Atlantic hurricane season entered October with no hurricanes, a first in the modern satellite era. Eight named storms have formed, none reaching hurricane strength, and the hurricane drought now exceeds 11 months, according to the report.
I live in Florida. For my whole life the first of June has been a date to check my supplies. This year the supplies are in the cupboard and the drama is not on the radio.
The Records
The report says every September for more than three decades produced at least one Atlantic hurricane, until 2026. If no hurricane forms, 2026 would be only the third hurricane-free Atlantic season in the official database, after 1907 and 1914. The report notes that pre-satellite records are incomplete, so storms far from land may have gone undetected.
Hurricane season runs through 30 November.
The Cause
The report says a rapidly strengthening El Nino and increased vertical wind shear have suppressed development during the normally busiest part of the season. Ed Piotrowski, posted 28 September 2026, said the 2026 Atlantic season is “the quietest on record” and noted it remained quiet well past the climatological peak.
Jeff Berardelli, posted 1 October 2026, argued this El Nino may be the most deviant climate event observed, with a magnitude he described as one “I don’t think any climate scientist could have foreseen a year ago.”
Florida Implications
October typically shifts development toward the Caribbean and Gulf, closer to Florida, and storms sometimes emerge from the Central American Gyre, the report says. Past Super El Nino years suggest suppression could continue, and the historic inactivity has lowered the odds of a Florida hurricane. The report states that this has not eliminated Florida’s risk and that residents should stay vigilant.
I take the warning seriously. A quiet sea is not a promise.
A Poet’s Reading
I have written a line about the quiet. It says the sea has gone silent, like a child who has been told off. I do not know if it is good. It is accurate, and in a hurricane season, accuracy is half the battle.
Poets are tempted to make a drama of the weather. This year the weather has made a drama of its absence.
On the Route
My Meals on Wheels route does not stop for rain. It stops for a hurricane warning, and for a power cut, and for a flooded road. This year there has been none of that. The seniors on my route notice. One said it felt like a missed visit from a difficult relative.
I did not say that was a joke. It is, though.
Supplies
I keep a hurricane box under the stairs: water, batteries, a torch, a radio, and a book of poems for the dark. I check it in June. This week I checked it again. Nothing had expired, which is a pleasing sentence.
The report says residents should stay vigilant, and I take that to mean that the box stays where it is.
Night
The porch is warm and the sea is calm. The barometer, I am told, is in a good mood.
Goodnight, diary. Keep the torch handy.
Questions From the Porch
Neighbour one: is the season over? The report says hurricane season runs through 30 November, so no. Neighbour two: can I take down the shutters? I said that was a question for the county and a weather radio, not a poet. Neighbour three: why was it so quiet? The report points to a strengthening El Nino and increased vertical wind shear.
I gave them the sources and a glass of tea. It is the Floridian equivalent of a lecture.
What Forecasters Say
The report quotes Ed Piotrowski and Jeff Berardelli, whose posts are dated 28 September and 1 October. I know nothing else about them from the report and will not add a word. I mention that the author, Leslie Hudson, explains why a strengthening El Nino could continue suppressing activity. That is as far as I can safely go.
Back Porch Reading
On the porch, somebody always has the paper. Ours had the Cebu condo slump in it: empty showrooms in Manila News, paperwork for British pensioners in the London Prat (at https://prat.uk/cebu-estate-agents-demand-character-references/) and long showings in Bohiney. More where that came from: prat.uk and bohiney.com.
Note: Philippine authorities are examining unproven allegations about Thomas Markle Sr., who lived in Cebu until earlier this year, as GMA News and the Guardian have reported. No charges have been filed. Child protection is a serious matter; the jokes here are about a property market and the paperwork.
For the lighter side of the news, try The Daily Squib, and the rest of the lot at NewsThump, NewsBiscuit and The Daily Squib.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com/cebu-realtor-cant-sell-beachfront-listings/