Pacific hurricane activity ends after record-shattering season thanks to El Niño
AccuWeather experts say Pacific hurricane activity is over after a record-breaking, El Niño-fueled season with 25 named storms and 11 major hurricanes.
AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva looks back at a busy season across the eastern and central Pacific, including impacts to Mexico and Hawaii.
The 2026 Pacific hurricane season goes into the record books as one of the most extreme ever observed in the eastern Pacific. Even though the official season runs through Nov. 30, AccuWeather hurricane experts are calling an end to Pacific hurricane season activity.
Experts say conditions across the basin are no longer favorable for additional tropical development.
The season was fueled by El Niño, which ramped up quickly and may become one of the strongest on record. That is the same climate pattern that choked off the Atlantic, which produced just 10 named storms and a single hurricane.
From left to right: Hurricanes Lowell, Karina and Marie seen on NOAA satellite imagery in the Northern Pacific Ocean on Sept. 4, 2026. (Image: NOAA)
“While El Niño helped suppress hurricane activity in the Atlantic, it had nearly the opposite effect in the Pacific. El Niño helped create conditions for storms to thrive in the Pacific while making it much harder for them to develop in the Atlantic," AccuWeather lead hurricane expert Alex DaSilva said. "The contrast this year has been striking, and it shows just how much influence one climate pattern can have across thousands of miles."
A season for the record books
Where the 2026 Pacific Hurricane Season stands compared to previous records.
AccuWeather’s preseason forecast called for 17 to 22 named storms and nine to 13 hurricanes in the eastern Pacific. The combined central and eastern Pacific finished with 25 named storms, including 13 hurricanes and 11 major hurricanes. Three of those reached Category 5 strength: Genevieve, Lowell and Polo. By this point in a season, that had not happened since 1994.
The basin shattered three seasonal records, according to data from Colorado State University.
The season's accumulated cyclone energy topped the previous record of 318.10 set in 2018, with a whopping 357.50.
"That's essentially a measure of the strength and longevity of these tropical systems," DaSilva said. "Truly remarkable."
Additionally, there were 76.25 days with an active hurricane, besting the previous record of 68.25 days, also set in 2018. Finally, there were 162.75 days this season with a named storm, breaking the previous record of 153.75 days set in 1992.
The number of named storms fell short of the record. The 25 storms trail 1992 (27) and 2015 (26).
This image of 180-mph Category 5 Hurricane Polo was captured on Friday morning, Sept. 25, 2026. (AccuWeather Enhanced RealVue™ Satellite)
Polo was the standout.
On Sept. 22, a Hurricane Hunter aircraft measured a central pressure of 892 mb (26.34 inches of mercury), making it the second-lowest pressure observed in a hurricane on record in the eastern Pacific behind Patricia in 2015. Polo’s winds climbed from 35 mph to 160 mph in just 39 hours, a record for the basin for the fastest intensification from a tropical depression to a Category 5.
Hawaii, Mexico and the Southwest bear the brunt
An uprooted tree rests on a home after Hurricane Lala in Volcano, Hawaii, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026. The Category 1 hurricane brought heavy rain and strong winds to the island of Hawaii before moving away without making landfall. (Photo by Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
Three storms had significant impacts on Hawaii: Lala, Lowell and Nolo. Lala brushed the Big Island as a Category 1 hurricane in August. Flash flooding swept away more than 100 homes, and some spots received more than 3.5 feet of rain in 48 hours. At the peak, about 250,000 homes and businesses were without power. Only 2018 (four storms) and 2016 (three) have brought a comparable number of impactful storms to the islands.
"It's one thing to have a lot of storms, but there were multiple impacts to Mexico and Hawaii," DaSilva said.
Firefighters watch along the boardwalk amid high Pacific Ocean surf generated by Tropical Storm Rachel on October 11, 2026 in Long Beach, California. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Polo and Simon affected Mexico, and Rachel and Simon sent surges of tropical moisture into the southwestern United States. Rachel pushed waves into homes in Long Beach, California, as the state’s second-ever tropical storm watch was issued. Vance became the season’s 11th major hurricane in late October.
Could a December hurricane happen?
It's possible, but December storms are extremely rare.
"I'm seeing a lot of wind shear right now, but I will say this, we've seen one December storm on record in the eastern Pacific," DaSilva said.
Hurricane Winnie in 1983 brought rain and gusty winds to western Mexico despite never making landfall. Just three named storms have been active in the central Pacific in December: Omeka, Paka and Nina. Hurricane Nina developed during an El Niño event in November 1957 and continued into December, bringing more than 20 inches of rain to Hawaii and hurricane-force wind gusts to Honolulu International Airport.
For now, DaSilva said there could be another tropical storm but no additional impacts to land are expected.
Should it happen, Winnie is next on this year’s eastern Pacific name list, followed by Xavier, Yolanda and Zeke.
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