NOAA to unveil 2026 Atlantic hurricane outlook

NOAA is set to release its 2026 Atlantic hurricane season outlook on Thursday at 11 a.m. ET, giving forecasters, emergency managers and coastal residents the federal government’s first official seasonal forecast ahead of the June 1 start of the Atlantic season. The announcement is scheduled for the NOAA Aircraft Operations Center in Lakeland, Florida, with a virtual option for viewers who want to watch live. NOAA said the briefing will cover expected storm activity, the main climate factors shaping the season and advice for public preparedness. ### Where and when is NOAA making the announcement? Thursday’s news conference is scheduled for 11 a.m. Eastern at the NOAA Aircraft Operations Center in Lakeland, according to a NOAA media advisory posted May 4. NOAA said the event will be held both in person and virtually. Lakeland is home to NOAA’s Aircraft Operations Center, the base for the agency’s hurricane-hunter aircraft, including its P-3s and G-IV plane, according to NOAA’s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations. (noaa.gov) Those aircraft are used to collect storm data that feed forecasts during the season. ### What will NOAA actually say in the outlook? (noaa.gov) NOAA said speakers will announce the anticipated activity for the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, discuss the factors that may influence hurricane development and provide advice on how the public can prepare. The agency’s advisory did not preview the numbers in advance. (omao.noaa.gov) ABC11 and other local outlets reported the outlook is expected to include projected storm activity, key drivers behind the forecast and preparedness tips ahead of the season’s opening. NOAA’s advisory matches that description. ### When does the Atlantic hurricane season begin? June 1 is the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season, and NOAA said the season runs through Nov. 30. (noaa.gov) That calendar is separate from whether storms form before or after those dates. The National Hurricane Center’s Atlantic outlook page on Thursday morning said tropical cyclone formation was not expected during the next seven days. (noaa.gov) Routine issuance of the Atlantic graphical tropical weather outlook resumes on June 1, the center said. ### Why does the Lakeland location matter? NOAA’s Lakeland facility is not just a backdrop for the announcement. (noaa.gov) The Aircraft Operations Center is part of NOAA’s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations and supports the agency’s storm-surveillance flights. NOAA says its P-3 and G-IV aircraft are based there. That makes the site a practical setting for a seasonal outlook briefing, because the center is directly tied to how NOAA gathers data once storms begin to organize over the Atlantic basin. (weather.gov) ### What should people watch for once the forecast is released? NOAA said the briefing will focus on three things: expected activity, the climate factors behind that forecast and preparation advice for the public. (omao.noaa.gov) Seasonal outlooks typically describe whether a season is expected to be above normal, near normal or below normal, though NOAA had not yet published the 2026 Atlantic figures before the event. Thursday’s next milestone is the 11 a.m. ET release itself. After that, the Atlantic season begins on June 1, and the National Hurricane Center will resume routine tropical outlook products for the basin as the season opens. (noaa.gov)