The 2026 hurricane season in the combined Eastern and Central Pacific has produced more storm energy than any season on record, and it is not over yet. Accumulated cyclone energy, a measure that combines how strong storms get and how long they last, reached 333.2 by mid-October, passing the previous record of about 318 set in 2018, NOAA Climate Prediction Center forecaster Matthew Rosencrans told the Hawaii Tribune-Herald.

The season has spun up 23 tropical storms, including 11 major hurricanes, according to AccuWeather's count. Three of them, Genevieve, Lowell and Polo, reached Category 5, the top of the Saffir-Simpson scale.

The record is more than a statistic for coastal Mexico and Hawaii — storms this season flooded towns along Mexico's Pacific coast and sent destructive surf into Kauai. Meanwhile, the Atlantic did not see its first hurricane until Oct. 7, a contrast both oceans owe largely to El Niño.

Three Category 5s and a Record That Fell on Oct. 11

The record was broken on Oct. 11, CBS News reported. Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach told CBS, "Since September 20, when Odalys formed, it's been berserk," noting that nearly every storm this year has lasted a long time and grown powerful.

Genevieve became the season's first Category 5 in late July, far from land. Lowell reached Category 5 in early September and produced 42.4 units of energy by itself, the second-highest total for a single Central Pacific storm after Hurricane John in 1994, according to the Tribune-Herald. Its surf destroyed homes along Hoona Road near Baby Beach on Kauai on Sept. 7.

Polo reached Category 5 on Sept. 22, with peak winds near 180 miles per hour (290 kilometers per hour) and a record two and a half days at that strength, CBS reported. The Eastern Pacific alone accounted for about 225 units of energy and the Central Pacific about 109, each the third-highest on record for its region, the Tribune-Herald reported.

In May, NOAA had forecast 15 to 22 named storms and five to nine major hurricanes for the combined basins, according to Scientific American. The season has already exceeded the top of both ranges.

Vance Fades Toward Northwestern Mexico

The season's latest storm is weakening. As of 2 a.m. Mountain Standard Time on Oct. 28, Tropical Storm Vance had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 km/h) and was moving north at 12 mph about 280 miles (455 kilometers) west of Manzanillo, according to National Hurricane Center Advisory 28.

No coastal watches or warnings were in effect. NHC expects Vance to become a post-tropical remnant low on Thursday, Oct. 29, as it nears the coast of northwestern Mexico. Forecasters still expect 2 to 4 inches of rain in central and southern Sinaloa, western Durango and northwestern Nayarit, with isolated totals up to 7 inches in Sinaloa, bringing a risk of flash flooding and mudslides. Swells could also cause life-threatening surf and rip currents.

Vance briefly reached major hurricane strength on Oct. 23, making it the season's 11th major hurricane. Earlier in October, the remnants of hurricanes Simon and Rachel were blamed for at least six deaths in Mexico, according to the Associated Press.

El Niño Fueled the Pacific and Shackled the Atlantic

The common thread is a strong El Niño — NOAA's Climate Prediction Center has an El Niño Advisory in effect and in its Oct. 8 diagnostic discussion projected "a strong-to-very strong El Niño likely through January-March 2027."

El Niño warms the tropical Pacific and reduces the wind shear that tears storms apart there, while increasing shear over the Atlantic. Rosencrans said warmer water means "that much more energy and that's many more storms," adding that other Pacific climate patterns are also in warm phases.

The Atlantic reflected the other side of that pattern. Isaias became the first Atlantic hurricane on the evening of Oct. 7, U.S. time, the latest first hurricane on record, and later struck near Destin, Florida, as a Category 2. CBS reported that Atlantic storm energy was running below 18% of normal.

Accumulated cyclone energy is not the same as damage. Hawaii State Climatologist Pao-Shin Chu told the Tribune-Herald that what matters most is how close storms come to the islands. A season can set an energy record with storms that stay far out at sea.

The Final Month of the Season

The Eastern and Central Pacific season runs through Nov. 30. NHC's outlooks issued late Oct. 27 called for no new tropical cyclone formation in either Pacific region or the Atlantic over the next seven days. Rosencrans and Chu have said one or two more Central Pacific hurricanes remain possible before the season closes.

Updated season totals are not yet official. AccuWeather estimated the combined energy near 335 as of Oct. 26, but NOAA's final figures will come in post-season reports. The exact count of hurricanes and the full death toll across Mexico and Hawaii also have not been tallied by an official source.

Residents of western Mexico should follow Mexico's national weather service and NHC for Vance's final advisories. In Hawaii, residents can use the quiet stretch to restock supplies, review evacuation zones with county emergency agencies, and check homeowners and flood insurance before next season.

The bottom line: the combined Eastern and Central Pacific has set a record for hurricane energy, led by three Category 5 storms and 11 major hurricanes, while El Niño kept the Atlantic unusually calm. Vance is fading, and the final month will decide how far beyond the old record the season climbs.

What Readers Want to Know

What record did the 2026 Pacific hurricane season set? It produced the most accumulated cyclone energy on record for the combined Eastern and Central Pacific, 333.2 by mid-October versus about 318 in 2018.

Which storms reached Category 5? Genevieve, Lowell, and Polo. Polo peaked near 180 mph and held Category 5 strength for a record two and a half days.

Is Tropical Storm Vance a threat? As of 2 a.m. MST Oct. 28, Vance had 40 mph winds and no watches or warnings. It could bring heavy rain and flooding to Sinaloa, Nayarit and Durango.

Why was the Atlantic so quiet? A strong El Niño increased wind shear over the Atlantic. Its first hurricane, Isaias, did not form until Oct. 7.

When does the season end? Nov. 30. NHC expected no new storms in the seven days following Oct. 27.

What is accumulated cyclone energy? A measure that adds up storm strength and duration across a season. It does not measure damage.