In a typical year, storm watchers have logged several hurricanes by late September. At this point in 2005, one of the most active years on record, five major hurricanes had already churned their way through the Atlantic Ocean — including Katrina, one of the most devastating in US history .

But 2026 has been quiet so far. As of September 23, only six tropical storms had formed over the North Atlantic, and none had intensified into hurricanes — a first since satellites began tracking storms in 1966, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the US.

Hurricane Katrina, in August 2005, claimed some 1,200 lives and left New Orleans underwater for weeks Image: Gary Coronado/Palm Beach Post/dpa/picture alliance

"In the satellite era, we have never had a year without a hurricane," said Matthew Rosencrans, lead hurricane season forecaster with NOAA's Climate Prediction Center.…