Tropical Storm Hanna (2026)

Storm Active: September 28-30

During the last week of September, a trough of low pressure formed over the central subtropical Atlantic. It initially moved north, passing Bermuda well to the east, and then turned eastward. It underwent some fairly quick development and was named Tropical Storm Hanna on September 28. Hanna was rather disorganized in the face of westerly shear, with convection displaced east of the center of circulation. Upper-level winds picked up over the storm even more the next day and it began to weaken and turn southeast. On September 30, it degenerated into a remnant low.

The image above shows Hanna shortly after formation.

Hanna was a highly sheared and short-lived tropical storm, much like many of the others of the 2026 season.

Tropical Storm Gonzalo (2026)

Storm Active: September 24-26

On September 23, a tropical wave moved off the coast of Africa into the far eastern tropical Atlantic. A trough north of the system gave it an early opportunity to gain latitude and it turned north-northwest. The system developed quickly and was named Tropical Storm Gonzalo the very next day. Gonzalo wasn't particularly well organized; the thunderstorm activity was stretched over the eastern side of a center of circulation that was elongated north-south. Over the next day, it passed just east of the Cabo Verde Islands, but the islands were spared the worst of the storm due to its asymmetry.

As it moved away from the islands, Gonzalo was beset by higher shear. The center lost definition steadily and the maximum winds decreased as convection was displaced even farther to the northeast. By the evening of September 26, the storm had transitioned into a post-tropical cyclone. The remnants slowed down and turned back toward the west before dissipating.

Gonzalo was a poorly organized and short-lived tropical storm.

Tropical Storm Gonzalo brushed Cabo Verde to the east, causing windy conditions that led to power outages on the islands. The storm's eastern side also brought significant rains to coastal Senegal, The Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau in west Africa.

Tropical Storm Fay (2026)

Storm Active: September 19-22, 23-29

On September 17, an area of low pressure formed in the subtropical Atlantic, well southwest of the Azores. It moved northeast over the next couple of days and deepend fairly quickly. On the 19th, it developed enough organized convection to be named Tropical Storm Fay. Fay was a small cyclone, with a compact organized spiral structure sandwiched between two areas of hostile wind shear. It moved northeastward following a weakness in a ridge to its north. Meanwhile, the storm intensified and briefly developed a central dense overcast. Fay peaked with sustained winds of 70 mph and a central pressure of 995 mb late on September 20.

Around the same time, the system reversed course and turned back toward the southwest as the nearby ridge restrengthened. The upper atmosphere also became much less favorable and strong shear from the west-northwest swiftly ripped away Fay's central convection. This put the storm ona steady weakening trend. Apart from a couple of scattered bursts of convection, the storm did not reorganize, and its decay brought it down to tropical depression status by September 22. A lack of organized thunderstorm activity prompted a downgrade to a remnant low that afternoon.

Fay had other ideas, however, and blossomed with new convective activity the next day as it moved slowly westward. Despite upper-level convergence, it managed to redevelop into a tropical depression on September 23, and then back into a tropical storm that night. It reached a secondary peak with 60 mph winds on September 25. At that point, Fay turned southward, still moving only very slowly, and crossed under 30° N. The storm was still very far from any landmass. Dry air infiltrated the core of the system and it began weakening again, spinning down into a tropical depression on the 26th. It picked up a little speed toward the southwest over the next couple of days. Fay had warm water and low shear to work with, but a stable airmass was mostly stifling development. The system managed to regain tropical storm strength one last time late on September 28 before it once again lost convection the following day. It degenerated into a remnant low on the 29th. Fay's remnants turned westward until they dissipated a few days later.

The image above shows Fay near peak intensity on September 20.

Fay's meandering course included two disjoint stints as a tropical cyclone; even so, the cyclone never affected land.

Tropical Storm Edouard (2026)

Storm Active: August 31-September 3

An area of low pressure formed over the northern Gulf of Mexico around August 28. The system moved little over the next few days, staying far enough offshore that it began to organize. Very warm water temperatures and placid upper-level winds gave an adequate window for development, and it was designated Tropical Depression Five on August 31, located offshore of Louisiana. From its formation, it assumed a slow west-northwestward heading, gradually moving closer to land. It was quickly upgraded to Tropical Storm Edouard.

Edouard was a very small storm, but had a well-defined spiral banding structure. During the morning of September 1, deep convection began to blossom near the center of circulation, putting the storm on the path toward rapid intensification. Fortunately, it ran out of water before the strengthening went too far. Nonetheless, small Edouard packed a punch when it made landfall as a 60 mph tropical storm near the Texas/Louisiana border during the afternoon of the 1st. Within the tight radius of maximum winds, many reports of gale force sustained winds and gusts were observed. After landfall, the cyclone pushed inland and weakened to a tropical depression that evening. Even so, its structure remained surprisingly organized due to a strong inflow of moist air from the Gulf of Mexico. This created a corridor of significant flooding in east Texas. Edouard became post-tropical early on September 3.

Tropical Storm Edouard was a small but well-organized tropical storm at landfall in the Gulf coast.

Despite only being a tropical storm, Edouard caused notable winds and flooding through a small corridor of east Texas.