In the United States, insurers are re-evaluating how El Niño affects hurricane risk as coastal exposure rises sharply. El Niño, identified by U.S. government scientists in June at the onset of the Atlantic hurricane season, typically suppresses storm formation, and officials expect a below-average 2026 season with eight to 14 named storms and one to three major hurricanes. However, decades of coastal development have added more than 40 million residents to coastal counties since 1970, while home values and reconstruction costs have climbed over 70% and 60% in the past decade, prompting insurers to focus more on landfall locations and asset concentrations than storm counts.

Prepared by Christopher Adams and reviewed by editorial team.