The 2026 Atlantic hurricane season is expected to be slightly less active than average, according to the April seasonal forecast issued on Thursday by Colorado State University (CSU) — which pioneered hurricane season forecasts in 1984. CSU anticipates that a strong El Niño — which is typically associated with fewer named storms in the Atlantic — will become the dominant factor in determining tropical weather patterns this season, overcoming other forecast ingredients present that favor increased tropical development. The CSU forecast calls for 13 named storms, 6 hurricanes, including 2 major (Category 3+) hurricanes this year. This is the fewest number of storms they’ve predicted since 2019.