No Hurricane Watches Are in Effect in the US Right Now, Even as Several Tropical Systems Are Being Tracked

As of Sunday afternoon, Aug. 30, 2026, there are no hurricane or tropical storm watches or warnings anywhere in the United States, according to a live check of the National Weather Service’s alert system. That’s true even though forecasters are watching several tropical systems and disturbances at once: Hurricane Karina far out in the Eastern Pacific, a separate tropical wave south of southwestern Mexico, a Gulf of Mexico disturbance, the fading remains of Tropical Storm Dolly, and Tropical Storm Lowell near Hawaii.

Here’s what’s actually happening with each one.

Key facts

No hurricane or tropical storm watches or warnings are in effect anywhere in the US as of Sunday afternoon, Aug. 30
Systems being tracked include Hurricane Karina, a separate Eastern Pacific tropical wave, a Gulf of Mexico disturbance, the remnants of Tropical Storm Dolly, and Tropical Storm Lowell
Karina: Category 1 hurricane, 80 mph winds, ~820 miles southwest of Baja California, expected to become a major hurricane
Gulf low: ~125 miles south of southeastern Louisiana, 50% chance of development
Lowell: 50 mph winds, could reach Category 2 by Thursday, Sept. 3
No hurricane or tropical storm is confirmed to be making landfall on the US mainland or in Hawaii; the Gulf low could reach the Upper Texas or southwestern Louisiana coast around Tuesday or Tuesday night, but development is not certain

Hurricane Karina, far out in the Pacific

Karina strengthened from a tropical storm into a Category 1 hurricane on Sunday, with maximum sustained winds near 80 mph. It’s located roughly 820 miles southwest of the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula and moving northwest at about 15 mph. The National Hurricane Center expects it to keep strengthening into a major hurricane within the next day or two.

Karina’s center isn’t threatening land. The National Weather Service office in San Diego says the storm is expected to stay well south of Southern California, though some longer-range computer models show it eventually curving toward the West Coast — a scenario the Hurricane Center itself has not forecast. The storm’s swells are expected to bring dangerous surf and rip currents to southwest Mexico and the Baja California Peninsula this week.

A separate Eastern Pacific tropical wave well south of southwestern Mexico also has a high chance of developing into a tropical depression early to midweek.

A Gulf disturbance eyed by Louisiana and Texas

Louisiana and Texas have the most reason to watch this week. A low-pressure area was sitting about 125 miles south of the southeastern Louisiana coast, according to the Hurricane Center’s 2 p.m. Sunday outlook, with the center putting its odds of developing into at least a tropical depression at 50% — the same figure whether measured over the next 48 hours or the full seven days, essentially a coin flip. Should it organize, forecasters say it would likely be short-lived, potentially reaching the upper Texas or southwestern Louisiana coast around Tuesday, Sept. 1, or that night.

Whether or not it strengthens into a named storm, forecasters expect heavy rain along that stretch of coast over the next couple of days.

What’s left of Tropical Storm Dolly

Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands are dealing with the after-effects of Dolly, which formed in the central Atlantic on Thursday, Aug. 27, then weakened into a tropical wave within about a day and dissipated by Friday, Aug. 28, without ever reaching hurricane strength or making landfall. Its remnant moisture is now producing showers and thunderstorms from Puerto Rico eastward across the Virgin Islands and the northern Leeward Islands, with gusty winds up to 30 mph expected into Monday. Meteorologists covering the storm have described the rain as a rare bit of good news for islands facing severe to extreme drought, with some calling Dolly a rare beneficial tropical storm for the region. The Hurricane Center says the system is unlikely to organize into anything again in the next day or two.

Tropical Storm Lowell, near Hawaii

Near Hawaii, forecasters are tracking Tropical Storm Lowell, which entered the Central Pacific on Sunday with 50 mph winds, about 1,070 miles east-southeast of Hilo. It’s expected to strengthen into a hurricane as soon as Monday, Aug. 31, and potentially reach Category 2 strength by Thursday, Sept. 3, while passing several hundred miles south of Hawaii’s Big Island before curving more to the northwest. No watch or warning has been issued for Hawaii.

The bigger picture

By late August, at least four named storms — Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal and Dolly — had formed, and reliable reporting had not confirmed an Atlantic hurricane. Arthur brought record rainfall to parts of Louisiana and spawned Gulf-coast tornadoes in mid-June; Tropical Storm Bertha — not a hurricane — made landfall in southeastern Louisiana and then Texas in late July before weakening to a tropical depression and dissipating; Cristobal formed briefly over the open Atlantic in mid-August and weakened to a post-tropical system within a day without approaching land. NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)’s latest outlook, updated in August, still calls for a below-normal season overall: 7 to 13 named storms, 2 to 6 hurricanes and up to two major hurricanes. The agency puts the odds of a below-normal season at 75%. NOAA points to a strong El Niño pattern as the main reason the Atlantic has stayed relatively quiet.

For now, no hurricane or tropical storm is confirmed to be making landfall on the US mainland or in Hawaii; the Gulf low could reach the Upper Texas or southwestern Louisiana coast around Tuesday or Tuesday night, but development is not certain. That could change fastest with the Gulf system, so residents along the upper Texas and southwestern Louisiana coast may want to watch the Hurricane Center’s updates through the start of next week.