October’s Hurricane History – 2026
Bottom Line: The trend has been our friend during this year’s hurricane season as we’re heading into the final two months of this year’s season with a historically inactive hurricane season. Three years ago, entering October, we’d already experienced 17 named storms, two years ago there had been 11, including four U.S. landfalls. Last year we had 9 named storms entering the month.
This year we've had only eight named storms and most notably, we've not yet had a hurricane develop in the Atlantic Basin. This year marks the first year since the onset of the in the satellite era in the 1960's, that we've entered October without a hurricane having developed. The combination of an El Nino which has become stronger throughout the season with high levels of Saharah dust, have set the stage for what could be at least one of the three most benign hurricane seasons since the onset of official record keeping began in 1851.
The early months of hurricane season work as a hurricane incubator by gradually heating up the ocean creating favorable conditions for development. The gradually cooler weather we usually see as we exit September has the opposite effect. So, about October’s hurricane history.
Of the six months of hurricane season, where do you think October ranks? The answer is third behind September and August – so we’re certainly not off the hook just yet as many South Floridians hit by Wilma can attest to. Incidentally, it was Wilma in October of 2005, which was the last hurricane to make landfall in Southeast Florida.
Since tracking began in 1851:
- 82% of all tropical storms & hurricanes have happened prior to October
Despite a third of the season being left on the calendar, the better news is that we have less than a fifth of the activity to go this hurricane season if history continues to be a guide. Here's what we average during October:
- 2 tropical storms
- 1 hurricane
An average of about one tropical storm or hurricane makes landfall in the US every three years during the month. The wind is now at our back (pun intended) as we head down the home stretch of this year’s hurricane season. May the wind be with us.