Bryan Norcross: Spookily quiet Atlantic, Kiko on a good track and we remember deadliest hurricane on record
Wednesday is the "peak" of the hurricane season – the date when, historically speaking, we are most likely to have a named storm in the Atlantic, the Caribbean or the Gulf. That makes it even more unusual that the Atlantic is so quiet.
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Updated at 9 a.m. ET on Monday, Sept. 8, 2025
There is no sign of any significant tropical activity spinning up in the Atlantic in the next week to 10 days. Some tropical disturbances are forecast to move off Africa, but there's no indication that they will take a threatening track.
Wednesday is the "peak" of the hurricane season – the date when, historically speaking, we are most likely to have a named storm in the Atlantic, the Caribbean or the Gulf. That makes it even more unusual that the Atlantic is so quiet.
This graphic shows when the statistical peak of the Atlantic hurricane season occurs.
(FOX Weather)
It's not obvious why this is happening, although recall that it also happened last year. There are negative factors in play, but there's no one factor to point to that is clearly responsible. For now, we won't argue with the hand of good cards we've been dealt ... even if a few of them are jokers.
It's looking more and more like our focus will shift to the Caribbean and the southern Gulf later in the month.
This graphic provides a look at the tropical Atlantic Basin.
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In the Pacific
Hurricane Kiko is weakening on schedule as it heads for the waters north of Hawaii. The storm looks likely to pass far enough offshore that only fringe effects will impact the islands.
Energy from Kiko will reach the Big Island and east-facing beaches today, which will generate large, dangerous waves. In addition, extra high tides due to the lunar cycle will cause coastal flooding of low-lying areas. Stay aware of alerts issued by the National Weather Service in Honolulu.
This graphic provides information on Hurricane Kiko spinning in the Central Pacific Ocean near Hawaii on Sept. 8, 2025.
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125 years ago today
On this date in 1900, a stunning and deadly series of events unfolded on Galveston Island, Texas. A powerful hurricane – today estimated to have been a Category 4 – made landfall in the precise spot where it would maximize the storm surge. Gulf water pushed over and through Galveston, destroying most of the city.
It happened in the dark. Landfall came at 8 p.m. CT in those days before daylight saving time, so the equivalent of 9 p.m. CT today. The storm slowly made its way inland, with maximum impact in Houston about midnight.
This photo shows damage after the deadly hurricane that slammed Galveston, Texas, on Sept. 8, 1900.
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Estimates of the dead range from 6,000 to 10,000. Imagine if such a thing happened today, how difficult it would be. And then imagine what those people must have gone through in 1900.
At the time, Galveston was a larger, richer and more important city than Houston. But the Great Hurricane of 1900 changed the trajectory of East Texas. Even though the island was raised, a massive seawall was constructed higher than the storm surge, and the town was rebuilt, inland Houston seemed like a safer bet and eventually became the center of commerce.
The seawall and the reconstruction were tested just 15 years later when another Category 4 hurricane hit Galveston head-on. The seawall held. But still, hundreds died.
This photo shows damage after the deadly hurricane that slammed Galveston, Texas, on Sept. 8, 1900.
(Wikipedia / FOX Weather)
It's easy to say, "But that was all a long time ago." But how would we deal with a Category 4 hurricane today plowing through the megalopolis that is the Houston/Galveston metropolitan area? The answer: It would be a catastrophe of unimaginable proportions.
The system that was the 1900 hurricane went on to be extremely damaging in the Midwest, New York, New England and the Canadian provinces from Ontario to Newfoundland. Imagine a storm that destroys a major city in Texas and goes on to cause damage in Minneapolis, Chicago, Toronto, Buffalo, New York City and across New England and Atlantic Canada.
Thankfully, these things don’t happen very often, but the Great Galveston Hurricane of 1900 is a reminder that sometimes they do.