El Niño provides wind shear that keeps hurricanes in the Caribbean and the Gulf from getting strong. We're a week into August and there have been only two named storms.
There is a strong, well-established correlation between El Niño and reduced Atlantic hurricane activity, though the relationship is not absolute for every single month.
The Mechanism: Vertical Wind Shear The primary reason El Niño suppresses Atlantic storms is increased vertical wind shear. During an El Niño event, warmer waters in the central/eastern Pacific alter atmospheric circulation, strengthening upper-level westerly winds over the Caribbean and tropical Atlantic. These strong winds tear the tops off developing thunderstorms, preventing them from organizing into tropical cyclones.
Thanks, clearly a good thing for the east coast.