WeatherInfo

Hurricane season: dates, watches, warnings and the forecast cone

The National Hurricane Center and your local officials are the sources to act on. This page explains their terms so you can read their updates quickly when it counts.

Reviewed October 2026

A hurricane's spiral clouds and eye over the ocean, seen from orbit
A hurricane seen from space. Photo: NASA on Unsplash

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Check your area now: enter your ZIP code in the forecast to see any active hurricane, tropical storm or storm surge watches and warnings, straight from the National Weather Service.

When is hurricane season?

Basin Official season Source
Atlantic basin June 1 to November 30 National Hurricane Center
Eastern Pacific May 15 to November 30 National Hurricane Center

The National Hurricane Center puts the peak of the Atlantic season on September 10, with most activity between mid-August and mid-October.

Watches and warnings

The National Hurricane Center issues these for coastal areas:

Alert What it means When it's issued
Tropical storm watch Tropical storm conditions are possible 48 hours before tropical-storm-force winds are expected
Hurricane watch Hurricane conditions (sustained winds of 74 mph or more) are possible 48 hours before tropical-storm-force winds are expected
Tropical storm warning Tropical storm conditions are expected 36 hours before tropical-storm-force winds are expected
Hurricane warning Hurricane conditions are expected 36 hours before tropical-storm-force winds are expected

Notice that hurricane watches and warnings are timed to the arrival of tropical-storm-force winds, not hurricane-force winds, so you have time to prepare before conditions turn dangerous.

What to do, in NOAA's words: under a hurricane watch, "prepare your home and review your plan for evacuation in case a hurricane or tropical storm warning is issued." Under a hurricane warning, "complete storm preparations and immediately leave the threatened area if directed by local officials."

Evacuation orders come from your local government, not the weather service. Find your county or city emergency management office before the season starts.

Reading the forecast cone

The cone on the National Hurricane Center's maps shows the probable track of the center of the storm. Each circle along the track is sized so that about two-thirds of the center's past forecast errors fell inside it. For 2026, the Atlantic circles range from 25 nautical miles at 12 hours to 200 nautical miles at five days.

Two things the cone does not tell you:

  • How big the storm is. The cone tracks only the center. A storm's wind, storm surge and rain can affect places well outside it.
  • Where the center will go for certain. Roughly one time in three, the center moves outside the cone.

Read the National Hurricane Center's full advisory and your local NWS office's statements for the hazards in your area.

Where to get official updates

  • National Hurricane Center at nhc.noaa.gov: advisories, the cone, wind and surge maps.
  • Your local NWS office at weather.gov: local watches, warnings and hurricane statements for your county.
  • Your county or city emergency management office: evacuation zones, orders and shelters.

Sources