Hurricane Emmy was the longest-lived hurricane of the 1976 Atlantic hurricane season. The fifth tropical cyclone and the third hurricane of the season, Emmy developed from a tropical wave on August 20 to the east of the Lesser Antilles. After changing its direction three times over several days, during which it reached a peak intensity of 105 mph (169 km/h), it turned to the east and slowly weakened. Emmy passed through the Azores on September 3, and a day later it was absorbed by approaching Hurricane Frances.

The 1976 Atlantic hurricane season was an fairly average Atlantic hurricane season in which 21 tropical or subtropical cyclones formed. 10 of them became nameable storms. Six of those reached hurricane strength, with two of the six became major hurricanes, which are Category 3 or higher on the Saffir–Simpson scale. The season officially began on June 1 and lasted until November 30. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin. However, the first system, a subtropical storm, developed in the Gulf of Mexico on May 21, several days before the official start of the season. The system spawned nine tornadoes in Florida, resulting in about $628,000 (1976 USD) in damage, though impact was minor otherwise.