Tropical storms Gonzalo, Fay churning in Atlantic, NHC says

Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel on Sep 25, 2026

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ORLANDO, Fla. — Tropical Storm Gonzalo formed late Thursday to become the seventh named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, although still one that has yet to produce a hurricane. It joined Tropical Storm Fay in the distant Atlantic, according to the National Hurricane Center.

As of the NHC’s 2 p.m. EDT advisory Friday, the center of Gonzalo was located about 70 miles south of Sal Cape Verde moving north at 10 mph with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph.

“On the forecast track, the center will pass near or over the eastern portions of the Cape Verde Islands later today and tonight,” forecasters said. “Little change in strength is expected today. A gradual weakening trend is forecast to begin tonight and continue through the weekend.”

A tropical storm warning is in effect for the Cape Verde Islands and tropical-storm-force winds extend out up to 205 miles from its center.

The system is forecast to drop 1-3 inches of rain on eastern portions of the islands through Saturday and 2-4 inches on the coastal regions of the west African countries of Guinea-Bissau, The Gambia and Senegal.

Also in the Atlantic but no threat to land was Tropical Storm Fay, which increased strength by Friday afternoon.

As of the NHC’s 2 p.m. EDT advisory, the center of Fay was located about 1,040 miles west-southwest of the Azores moving west at 3 mph with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph.

“A gradual turn to the west-southwest, then southwest at a slower forward speed, is expected over the next few days,” forecasters said. “Some slight strengthening is possible over the next few hours. Gradual weakening, however, is still expected through the weekend.”

Tropical-storm-force winds extend out up to 80 miles from its center.

In addition to Fay and Gonzalo, the hurricane season so far has seen the formation of tropical storms Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal, Dolly and Edouard.

Hurricane season began June 1 and runs through Nov. 30, but the height of hurricane season runs from mid-August through mid-October.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration last month updated its seasonal forecast and now expects between seven and 13 named storms this year. Of those, two to six would become hurricanes. It also predicted that there might not be any major hurricanes this year, or at most two.

Already, 2026 was forecast to have lower-than-average storm generation, and that has been reduced even further with the latest forecasts from the NOAA and other weather groups.

An average year would see 14 named storms and seven hurricanes, with three of those growing to Category 3 strength or higher.

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