Daily Florida hurricane-season check for August 13, 2026: The National Hurricane Center is issuing advisories on Tropical Storm Cristobal and monitoring two additional areas across the tropical Atlantic. The outlook does not identify a current Florida threat, landfall forecast, or forecast track. Conditions and formation chances can change, so Treasure Coast residents and businesses should keep checking official updates.
Quick Read
- Official issue time: 2:00 AM EDT Thursday, August 13, 2026.
- Product: ABNT20 KNHC 130526 / TWOAT.
- Area covered: The North Atlantic, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of America.
- Active system: Tropical Storm Cristobal, over the Atlantic well west of the Azores.
- Central Tropical Atlantic (AL92): Formation chance through 48 hours: high—80 percent. Formation chance through 7 days: high—80 percent.
- Eastern Tropical Atlantic (AL94): Formation chance through 48 hours: low—30 percent. Formation chance through 7 days: medium—50 percent.
- Forecaster: Beven.
What the National Hurricane Center Is Watching
Active: Tropical Storm Cristobal
NHC is issuing advisories on Tropical Storm Cristobal, located over the Atlantic well west of the Azores. Because Cristobal is already a tropical cyclone, it is listed as an active system rather than assigned a formation percentage in this outlook. Follow the National Hurricane Center for current advisories.
1. Central Tropical Atlantic (AL92)
Showers and thunderstorms associated with a tropical wave midway between the Lesser Antilles and the west coast of Africa have become a little better organized. NHC says conditions should support further development during the next day or so, and a tropical depression will likely form while the system moves westward to west-northwestward across the central tropical Atlantic. Beginning Friday, upper-level winds are likely to become too strong for development as it approaches the Lesser Antilles.
- Through 48 hours: high—80 percent
- Through 7 days: high—80 percent
2. Eastern Tropical Atlantic (AL94)
A tropical wave a few hundred miles south of the Cabo Verde Islands is producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms. NHC says conditions should be generally conducive for some development, and a tropical depression could form late this week or this weekend while the wave moves westward or west-northwestward across the eastern and central tropical Atlantic.
- Through 48 hours: low—30 percent
- Through 7 days: medium—50 percent
What This Means for Florida and the Treasure Coast
This outlook does not identify a current Florida threat, landfall forecast, warning, watch, or forecast track. Formation percentages describe the chance that a tropical cyclone will form within each outlined area—not the chance that a storm will reach Florida.
For Port Saint Lucie, Jensen Beach, Fort Pierce, and Vero Beach, the practical takeaway is awareness rather than alarm. The two monitored disturbances remain in the tropical Atlantic. Their organization and future environment can change, and any reliable track guidance would require additional development and official analysis. Use current NHC products instead of old screenshots or speculative social-media tracks.
Five Practical Tech-Readiness Steps
- Test your backups: Keep important documents, photos, accounting records, and recovery information in at least two places, with one copy away from your home or office.
- Prepare for outages: Charge power banks, check UPS battery health, and prioritize the modem, router, phones, and essential computers.
- Protect account access: Store recovery codes securely and update emergency contacts without sharing passwords.
- Bookmark official updates: Live NHC information replaces quickly outdated screenshots.
- Plan safe shutdowns: Know how to shut down and unplug sensitive electronics, but never risk personal safety to protect equipment.
Official Sources and Preparedness Links
- NOAA/NHC Atlantic Tropical Weather Outlook text product
- NOAA/NHC Seven-Day Atlantic Graphical Tropical Weather Outlook
- National Weather Service: Make a Hurricane Plan
- Ready.gov: Hurricanes
Outlooks are snapshots and can change with each NOAA/NHC issuance. This article summarizes the 2:00 AM EDT outlook issued August 13, 2026. The accompanying NOAA/NHC graphic was timestamped 4:47 AM EDT. This article is not a substitute for emergency instructions from official authorities.