NC State's 2026 Atlantic hurricane forecast calls for an average season with 12 to 15 named storms

North Carolina State University is calling for a fairly average 2026 Atlantic hurricane season similar to recent years.

Researchers predict:

• 12 to 15 named storms (the average between 1994 to 2025 is 15 storms)

• 6 to 9 hurricanes (the average between 1994 to 2025 is 7 storms)

• 2 to 3 major hurricanes (the average between 1994 to 2025 is 4 storms)

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. Look for WRAL's hurricane season outlook airing May 18.

NC State's forecast was released on Wednesday by Lian Xie, a professor of marine, earth and atmospheric sciences.

Xie and researchers are calling for 1-3 named storms and 1-2 hurricanes in the Caribbean Sea (slightly below recent averages) and 2-5 named storms and 1-2 hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico (near recent averages).

Researchers at Colorado State University released their Atlantic hurricane season outlook earlier this month, pointing to a slightly below-normal year ahead and calling for 13 named storms, six hurricanes and two major hurricanes.

NC State has a history of accurate forecasts dating back to the early 2000s. Compared to the only other early-released hurricane forecast (Colorado State University), NC State has a smaller error. Data provided by Dr. Xie shows NC State’s forecast error is about 30-45% lower than the CSU benchmark.