Hurricanes


Type a name in the box below to see if there was a hurricane in the last five years with that name!

How are hurricanes named?


Hurricanes names are chosen from a list selected by the World Meteorological Organization. The Atlantic is assigned six lists of names, with one list used each year. Every sixth year, the first list begins again. Each animation of Hurricane Mitchname on the list starts with a different letter, for example, the name of the very first hurricane of the season starts with the letter A, the next starts with the letter B, and so on. The letters "Q", "U", "X", "Y" and "Z", however, are not used. Often when an unusually destructive hurricane hits, that hurricane's name is retired and never used again. Since 1954, forty names have been retired. In 1996 Hurricane Luis was retired. Is your name among the currently used or retired hurricane names?

Retired Names

Retired Name
Replacement Name
Allison
Andrea
Floyd
Franklin
Georges
Gaston
Iris
Ingrid
Keith
Kirk
Lenny
Lee
Michelle
Melissa
1997/2003
1998/2004
1999/2005
2000/2006
2001/2007
2002/2008
Ana
Alex
Arlene
Alberto
Allison*
Arthur
Bill
Bonnie
Bret
Beryl
Barry
Bertha
Claudette
Charley
Cindy
Chris
Chantal
Cesar
Danny
Danielle
Dennis
Debby
Dean
Dolly
Erika
Earl
Emily
Ernesto
Erin
Edouard
Fabian
Frances
Floyd*
Florence
Felix
Fran
Grace
Georges*
Gert
Gordon
Gabrielle
Gustav
Henri
Hermine
Harvey
Helene
Humberto
Hortense
Isabel
Ivan
Irene
Isaac
Iris*
Isidore
Juan
Jeanne
Jose
Joyce
Jerry
Josephine
Kate
Karl
Katrina
Keith*
Karen
Kyle
Larry
Lisa
Lenny*
Leslie
Lorenzo
Lili
Mindy
Mitch*
Maria
Michael
Michelle*
Marco
Nicholas
Nicole
Nate
Nadine
Noel
Nana
Odette
Otto
Ophelia
Oscar
Olga
Omar
Peter
Paula
Phillippe
Patty
Pablo
Paloma
Rose
Richard
Rita
Rafael
Rebekah
Rene
Sam
Shary
Stan
Sandy
Sebastien
Sally
Teresa
Tomas
Tammy
Tony
Tanya
Teddy
Victor
Virginia
Vince
Valerie
Van
Vicky
Wanda
Walter
Wilma
William
Wendy
Wilfred

* Hurricanes retired since 1985.
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