Nick Petro, warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Raleigh, on the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season forecast

Nick Petro, warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service forecast office in Raleigh, joins Tony to discuss the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, which officially begins June 1. Petro explains how a developing El Niño and warm Atlantic waters are competing forces this year, why early-season storms forming close to the Southeast coast concern him most, and why flooding poses a greater threat than wind for inland communities. He urges North Carolinians to prepare now rather than wait for a storm to approach.