Did you know that hurricane names could be retired? Find out why some names are no longer used for Atlantic storms and see the list of hurricane names that have been retired since the 1950s.
Why Are Hurricane Names Retired?
Atlantic tropical cyclone name lists repeat every six years unless a storm is so severe that the World Meteorological Organization’s Hurricane Committee votes to retire that name from future lists. Here is the list of names for the current hurricane season.
Storm names are retired if they were so deadly or destructive that the future use of the name would be insensitive. (When a name is retired, it’s replaced by a new name.)
Any country may request that the name of a hurricane be “retired,” which must then be considered and agreed upon by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
Current List of Retired Atlantic Hurricane Names
Below is the list of Atlantic Ocean retired names and the year the hurricane(s) occurred.
As of the 2020 hurricane season, 93 names have been retired from the Atlantic basin list since 1953, when storms began to be named.
| Years | Names |
| 1954 | Carol, Hazel |
| 1955 | Connie, Diane, Ione, Janet |
| 1956 | |
| 1957 | Audrey |
| 1958 | |
| 1959 | |
| 1960 | Donna |
| 1961 | Carla, Hattie |
| 1962 | |
| 1963 | Flora |
| 1964 | Cleo, Dora, Hilda |
| 1965 | Betsy |
| 1966 | Inez |
| 1967 | Beulah |
| 1968 | Edna |
| 1969 | Camille |
| 1970 | Celia |
| 1971 | |
| 1972 | Agnes |
| 1973 | |
| 1974 | Carmen, Fifi |
| 1975 | Eloise |
| 1976 | |
| 1977 | Anita |
| 1978 | |
| 1979 | David, Frederic |
| 1980 | Allen |
| 1981 | |
| 1982 | |
| 1983 | Alicia |
| 1984 | |
| 1985 | Elena, Gloria |
| 1986 | |
| 1987 | |
| 1988 | Gilbert, Joan |
| 1989 | Hugo |
| 1990 | Diana, Klaus |
| 1991 | Bob |
| 1992 | Andrew |
| 1993 | |
| 1994 | |
| 1995 | Luis, Marilyn, Opal, Roxanne |
| 1996 | Cesar, Fran, Hortense |
| 1997 | |
| 1998 | Georges, Mitch |
| 1999 | Floyd, Lenny |
| 2000 | Keith |
| 2001 | Allison, Iris, Michelle |
| 2002 | Isidore, Lili |
| 2003 | Fabian, Isabel, Juan |
| 2004 | Charley, Frances, Ivan, Jeanne |
| 2005 | Dennis, Katrina, Rita, Stan, Wilma |
| 2006 | |
| 2007 | Dean, Felix, Noel |
| 2008 | Gustav, Ike, Paloma |
| 2009 | |
| 2010 | Igor, Tomas |
| 2011 | Irene |
| 2012 | Sandy |
| 2013 | Ingrid |
| 2014 | |
| 2015 | Erika, Joaquin |
| 2016 | Matthew, Otto |
| 2017 | Harvey, Irma, Maria, Nate |
| 2018 | Florence, Michael |
| 2019 | Dorian |
| 2020 | Laura, Eta, Iota |
This table was last updated in May 2021. Source: NOAA
2019 & 2020 Retired Names
Usually, storm names from the most recent hurricane season are officially retired at the spring meeting of the World Meteorological Organization’s Hurricane Committee. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, this meeting could not happen as planned, so name retirement for the 2019 hurricane season was postponed until the Spring 2021 meeting.
2019: Dorian
According to the WMO, Dorian was a Category 5 hurricane and the “strongest hurricane to hit the northwestern Bahamas in modern records.” The total cost of Dorian’s damage is estimated to be at least $3.4 billion (USD). More than 75 percent of all homes on the island of Abaco were damaged, and the storm left 29,500 people homeless and/or jobless.
The name Dorian will be replaced by Dexter in the 2025 hurricane season.
2020: Laura, Eta, Iota
Laura made landfall in Louisiana as a Category 4 hurricane, causing a storm surge of approximately 17 feet (5 meters). Laura was directly responsible for 47 deaths in the United States and on the island of Hispaniola, and caused more than $19 billion (USD) in damage. The name Laura will be replaced by Leah in the 2026 hurricane season.
In November 2020, hurricanes Eta and Iota hit Central America, causing devastating flooding that resulted in at least 272 fatalities and more than $9 billion (USD) in damage.
Did You Know?
- Around 39% of hurricanes that hit the United States strike the state of Florida.
- Two-thirds of the strongest hurricanes (Class 4 or 5) make landfall on either the Florida or Texas coast.
- As shown in the chart above, the 2005 hurricane season has the most retired names–five–for one season.
Learn More About Hurricanes
Find out the forecast for this year’s hurricane season.
Read about the Worst Hurricanes in U.S. History (a three-part series).
Reader Comments
Leave a Comment
Hurricane Leah Stronger October On Record in Louisiana..
A God's Crying!!
Similar to Hurricane Lili 2002 Track, Cat 3 winds 120 MPH, in Central Louisiana coast
This rapid weakening continued until the hurricane's final landfall near Intracoastal City, Louisiana on October 3, 2026.
Hurricane Leah was a destructive and slow-moving Atlantic hurricane which was the first hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. state of Louisiana since Lili in 2002, coincidentally on the same date in the same place.....
Intracoastal City area.
New Hurricane names
New name Leah in 2026, No Lucy, in the future, it's not going to happen.
new hurricane names for Lucy or Lisette, Maybe in the future events, it's not happening.
Hurricane Leah (2026) Category 4 will hit the Mississippi Coast, since the Camille in 1969.
Hurricane names
Did not expect it but the comments on farmers almanac articles are the funniest shit that I have run across in a long time. Lease keep them coming!
Hurricane names
Would a Greek name ever be retired?
Hurricane names
I have more of a question. So the names are alpha order off a list every 6 years what happens when one letter from all 6 list have been retired, how to you choose new names to replace that letter?
New Hurricane Names
That’s a question for the World Meteorological Organization! We’re not sure how they initially pick new storm names, but presumably, the committee chooses names with the intent of representing diversity and many cultures.
New hurricane names
James,May or Felicia ( pronounced in Latin version)
Names that should be added
You need to add Harvey, Irma and Maria
Hurricane names
What would usually happen if all of the names on the list of hurricane names are used?
hurricane names
Interesting question! The hurricane list of names starts over every season, but if they run out of names in a single season, the Greek alphabet is used (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon … )
Hurricane Names
If all the names on the Hurricane list are used?
They add a new name , for example my:
Hurricane Elaine.
But I promise I will pray to be a category 1.
Best Regards,
Elaine
hurricane Jaylen
can you name a hurricane named hurricane jaylen pleaesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
Hurricane Names
I really don't understand why they go through all of this drama with the names. They should just number the storms and let it go at that.
retired names
Donna is repeated this year
Atlantic Storm Names
Do you ever change out all of the names. Adding 6 new list after 6 years. I'm 63, and remember so many of the retired Huricane names and their landfalls. Elouise and Opal are two that hit Panama City Beach, and Panama City hard 20 years apart.
Living on the Northern Gulf Coast, Tropical Systems are ALWAYS watched closely by People here, from the time they are first talked about off the African Coast. Storm paths, wind speeds, barometric pressure numbers, a big focus I remember from all of my June to November Hurricane seasons. My 94 year old Mother, Ruby, always tracked each storm of each season on storm maps, once they started including them in our Newspapers each season. She says they used to be called September Storms, Oct. & Nov. Storms when she was young and remembers some bad ones in late '20s, '30s, and 40s.
Through the years, I don't remember ever hearing of a Hurricane Nancie/Nancy. Has there been a Nancy storm that I just missed hearing about? If not, will Nancie ever be considered? Living on the NW Florida Gulf Coast all of my life, it's Just something I've wondered about many times. Thanks in Advance, for any answers you can give me.. Nancie Norton..
Panama City/Bay County, Florida
Naming Storms
How do names get added/changed? Only once one of the usual is retired? How about "Lavera"?
The World Meteorological
The World Meteorological Organization selects the names. There is a set list of male and female names which are used on a six-year rotation. They only retire a name when the hurricane was especially deadly.
Names
When will Roman be used ???
And in 2015, Patricia.
And in 2015, Patricia.
Wondering if Andrew in 1992;
Wondering if Andrew in 1992; was a retired storm name
Yes, Andrew (1992) is a
Yes, Andrew (1992) is a retired name.
Was the name name Jane
Was the name name Jane Maggie or Mary ever named as a storm at any time IRENE is my middle name and it made the list .
U see its on the list......
U see its on the list......
Keith Jay
Keith Jay