A hurricane is a tropical cyclone with sustained winds of at least 74 mph, and as of 21 September 2026 the Atlantic had not produced one all season. That is the first time in 112 years that a season has reached late September without a hurricane.
The last one to do it was 1914. In records going back to 1851, only two seasons, 1907 and 1914, finished without a single hurricane. 2026 is now the longest start to a season without one since satellites began routinely watching the tropics in 1966.
The season does not end until 30 November. The gap between "nothing has happened" and "nothing will happen" is where property documentation quietly stops getting done.
What Has the 2026 Atlantic Season Actually Produced?
Six named storms and no hurricanes.
| Named storm | Reached hurricane strength |
|---|---|
| Arthur | No |
| Bertha | No |
| Cristobal | No |
| Dolly | No |
| Edouard | No |
| Fay | No |
Fay came closest, reaching roughly 70 mph in late September, just short of the 74 mph threshold, and it stayed in the open Atlantic southwest of the Azores with no land impact.
NOAA's outlook for 2026 called for 7 to 13 named storms, 2 to 6 hurricanes, and 0 to 2 major hurricanes, and the agency held that below normal forecast through the season. The named storm count has landed inside its range. The hurricane count has not reached the bottom of its range.
Why Has It Been This Quiet?
A strong El Nino in the Pacific.
El Nino warms the central and eastern tropical Pacific, which shifts atmospheric circulation thousands of miles away and strengthens upper level winds over the Atlantic tropics. Those winds create vertical wind shear, which tilts a developing storm and tears the top off it before the circulation can stack up and organise. Six systems got far enough to earn a name. None got further.
This is a well understood relationship, which is why forecasters called for a below normal season in the spring rather than being surprised by one in September.
Does a Quiet Season Mean the Risk Is Over?
No, and October is the reason.
Florida has taken significant October landfalls in living memory, and the state's exposure does not switch off when the calendar turns. What changes in a record quiet year is not the risk. It is the behaviour. Nobody photographs a roof during a season in which nothing has happened.
That matters because the value of property documentation depends entirely on when it was made. An insurer assessing a claim wants to know the condition of the roof before the event. A photograph taken afterwards proves damage exists. A photograph taken beforehand proves the damage is new.
What Does a Useful Aerial Record Contain?
Not a flattering picture of the house. A dated, systematic pass.
| Element | Why it matters later |
|---|---|
| Every roof plane, not just the front | Establishes prior condition of all slopes |
| Ridge, valleys, and flashing | Where water enters first, and where an adjuster looks |
| Soffit and fascia line | Wind damage shows here before it shows on the field of the roof |
| Screen enclosure and lanai | Commonly damaged, commonly disputed, rarely photographed in advance |
| Pool cage and pavers | Same reason |
| Surrounding tree canopy | Documents what was overhanging before a limb came down |
| Date and location metadata | Turns a photograph into evidence of when |
Florida statute 627.7011 sets the 15 year point at which an insurer may require a roof inspection, and SB 808 widened who counts as an authorised inspector as of 1 July 2026. A current aerial set is not a substitute for an inspection, but it is the record that makes the conversation shorter. This is general information rather than insurance or legal advice, and the terms of your own policy govern.
When Should the Pass Be Flown?
Before anything happens, which in a season like this one means now rather than when a cone appears on a map.
Two practical reasons. The first is availability: with a storm three days out, every drone operator in Central Florida is booked solid, and airspace over an active warning area is not somewhere a commercial flight happens. The second is light. A documentation pass wants flat, even overcast or high sun so that shadows do not hide a lifted shingle. That is a different brief from a listing aerial shot at golden hour, and it is why the two are not the same product.
Jet Media Productions is FAA Part 107 certified and flies documentation passes as a distinct service from listing photography. The deliverable is a dated set covering every roof plane, the enclosure, and the canopy, supplied as originals rather than as edited marketing frames.
What About Owners Who Already Did This in August?
Then the work is done, and the only thing worth adding is a note of the date somewhere findable in a year.
This blog argued for documentation during [the active part of the season](/blog/hurricane-season-property-documentation) in August and again at [the statistical peak](/blog/september-peak-hurricane-month-documentation) in September. The argument in a record quiet year is the same argument with a different failure mode. In a busy season, people skip it because they run out of time. In a quiet season, they skip it because nothing appears to be coming. The second is the more expensive mistake, because it is the one that persists for a full twelve months.
Two months of season remain. 2026 may well finish as only the third season on record without a hurricane, which would be a genuinely remarkable statistic, and which would have no bearing whatsoever on what 2027 does.
Storm and outlook figures are from NOAA and the National Hurricane Center as of late September 2026. Insurance and statutory references are general information, not legal or insurance advice. Consult your carrier and the statute.
Want a dated documentation pass before the season closes? Jet Media Productions flies FAA Part 107 certified aerial documentation across Central Florida. [Get in touch](/contact) or call (321) 800-5294.