Tropical Storm Fay spins over the Atlantic, forecasters watching two more areas
Fay became the sixth named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season and is forecast to remain away from land as AccuWeather experts track additional areas for development later in September.
Heavy rain triggered flash flooding in Torrent and Barcelona, Spain, on Sept. 16, swamping roads and sending floodwater into buildings as torrential rain inundated the region.
The Atlantic basin's first tropical storm in over two weeks formed over the weekend and ramped up to 70 mph, which was just under hurricane intensity Sunday night.
Tropical Storm Fay was named at 5 a.m. EDT Sunday and has continued to meander over the open northern Atlantic. As of Monday afternoon, it has maximum sustained winds of 65 mph and is not expected to have any direct impacts on land.
Disruptive wind shear is now disturbing the structure of the storm and may lead to its total demise during the middle of this week.
Tropical Storm Fay becomes the sixth storm of 2026
Before Saturday, Tropical Storm Edouard, which dissipated over Texas in the early morning hours of Thursday, Sept. 3, was the last named system anywhere in the Atlantic, Caribbean or Gulf. The prolonged lull in activity officially ended this weekend.
Fortunately, for interests in the Azores, a remote Portuguese archipelago home to over a quarter million people, there will be little in the way of impacts outside of rough surf.
"No direct impacts are forecast in the islands from this system at this time," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Alex Duffus.
Fay became this season's sixth named tropical storm over three weeks later than is typical. The "F" storm typically arrives, on average, by Aug. 29, about a week and a half before the season's statistical peak on Sept. 10.
Earlier this month, the season set a modern satellite-era record for the latest start without a single hurricane forming.
A low risk for development elsewhere in the basin
With a little over two months left in the Atlantic hurricane season, the rest of the basin is relatively quiet. Despite that, AccuWeather meteorologists are still monitoring other areas for potential development.
One area is a nor'easter forecast to form off the United States' Atlantic coast later this week. It is possible that this storm will acquire some tropical characteristics this weekend while over the warm waters of the Gulf Stream.
A strong tropical wave expected to soon emerge off the western coast of Africa also has a medium risk for development later this week near the Cabo Verde islands. If this area of showers and storms were to survive stout wind shear in the region, it could become better organized as it moves west over the Atlantic's Main Development Region.
Another area being monitored stretches from the eastern Gulf into the southwestern Atlantic, where numerous showers and thunderstorms through early next month have a small chance of developing into a named storm.
Pacific season continues to spin away
Meanwhile, the very active Pacific hurricane season could soon feature another powerful hurricane with interests in Mexico and even the southwestern U.S., urging people to closely monitor the situation.
As is typical during an El Niño, while the Atlantic basin remains quiet, the Pacific is often active. The eastern Pacific has already notched 17 named storms and five hurricanes, with more expected to join the ranks in the coming weeks.
Tropical Storm Odalys will continue to move through the open Pacific and is not forecast to impact land. Meanwhile, AccuWeather Hurricane Experts are monitoring Hurricane Polo for potential rapid intensification west of the southern Mexican coast this week.
This week, Polo could quickly strengthen into a major hurricane due to favorable conditions in the region, before possibly impacting the west-central coast of Mexico. Interests between the popular resort locales Acapulco and Puerto Vallarta should closely watch this storm and be prepared to alter plans in the coming days due to possible wind, rain and surf impacts.
In the central Pacific, Lala, which formed earlier in the season, could soon be followed by Nolo.
Eventually, enhanced moisture from any storm or hurricane could venture toward the southwestern U.S., which has already been dealing with heavy showers and thunderstorms from the annual North American monsoon in recent weeks.
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