List of retired Atlantic hurricane names

{{Main|History of tropical cyclone naming}}

By 1947, tropical cyclones developing in the North Atlantic Ocean were named by the United States Army Air Forces in private communications between weather centers and aircraft using the phonetic alphabet.{{cite web|title=They Called the Wind Mahina: The History of Naming Cyclones|access-date=January 4, 2013|url=ftp://ftp.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/pub/dorst/Mahina.pptx|author2=Hurricane Research Division|author3=Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory|publisher=United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research|author=Dorst, Neal|page=Slides 62 – 72|date=October 23, 2012|format=pptx}}{{cite book|url=http://www.srh.noaa.gov/images/lch/tropical/lahurricanehistory.pdf|page=36|title=Louisiana Hurricane History|author=Roth, David M|series=Southern Region Headquarters|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service|date=January 13, 2010|access-date=January 4, 2013|archive-date=March 28, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160328153851/http://www.srh.noaa.gov/images/lch/tropical/lahurricanehistory.pdf|url-status=live}} This practice continued until September 1950, when the names started to be used publicly after three hurricanes (Baker, Dog, Easy) had occurred simultaneously and caused confusion within the media and the public. Public use of the phonetic alphabet continued until the 1953 Interdepartmental Hurricane Conference, where the decision was made to start using a new list of female names during that season as a second phonetic alphabet had been developed.{{cite journal|title=What's in a name? - The Phonetic Alphabet goes International|journal=Topics of the Weather Bureau|date=March 1952|volume=11|issue=3|pages=36 (48)|url=http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/wb_topicsandpersonnel/1952.pdf|access-date=November 18, 2012|author=United States Weather Bureau|archive-date=June 12, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120612114841/http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/wb_topicsandpersonnel/1952.pdf|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://australiasevereweather.com/cyclones/2008/summ0707.htm |archive-date=June 6, 2011 |url-status=dead |access-date=December 13, 2012 |title=Monthly Global Tropical Cyclone Summary July 2007 |author=Padgett, Gary |date=September 24, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606013629/http://australiasevereweather.com/cyclones/2008/summ0707.htm }} During the active but mild 1953 Atlantic hurricane season, the names were readily used in the press with few objections recorded; as a result, the same names were reused during the next year with only one change: Gilda for Gail. Over the next six years, a new list of names was developed ahead of each season; in 1960, forecasters developed four alphabetical sets and repeated them every four years.{{cite report|title=Monthly Global Tropical Cyclone summary: August 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 6, 2011 |author=Padgett, Gary |url=http://australiasevereweather.com/cyclones/2008/summ0708.htm |date=November 30, 2007 |access-date=January 19, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606010056/http://australiasevereweather.com/cyclones/2008/summ0708.htm }} These new sets followed the example of the typhoon names and excluded names beginning with the letters Q, U, X, Y, and Z, and keeping them to female names only.

In 1955, it was decided to start retiring the names of significant tropical cyclones for 10 years, after which they might be reintroduced, with the names Carol and Edna reintroduced ahead of the 1965 and 1968 hurricane seasons, respectively. At the 1969 Interdepartmental Hurricane Conference, the naming lists were revised after it was decided that the names Carol, Edna, Hazel, and Inez would be permanently retired because of their importance to the research community. It was also decided that the name of any significant hurricane in the future would be permanently retired.{{cite news|title=It's time (June) to match for Anna...|newspaper=The Daily Gleaner|date=June 1, 1969|agency=Reuters|page=2|location=Kingston, Jamaica}}{{subscription required|via=The Newspaper Archive}} Ahead of the 1971 Atlantic hurricane season, 10 lists of hurricane names were inaugurated, by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In 1977, it was decided that the World Meteorological Organization's Hurricane Committee (WMO) would control the names used, who subsequently decided that six lists of names would be used in the Atlantic Ocean from 1979 onwards, with male names included. Since 1979, the same six lists have been used by the United States National Hurricane Center (NHC) to name systems, with names of significant tropical cyclones retired from the lists permanently and replaced with new names as required at the following year's hurricane committee meeting.

At present, the name of any tropical cyclone may be retired or withdrawn from the list of names at the request of a member state, if it acquires notoriety for various reasons, including the number of deaths, amount of damages, or other impacts. The committee subsequently discuss the proposal and either through building consensus or a majority vote decides if the name should be retired or withdrawn. In March 2017, members of the British Caribbean Territories proposed that a third retirement criterion be added: the tropical cyclone must have sustained winds of at least {{convert|96|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}. This came in light of the retirement of Tropical Storm Erika in 2015, which caused catastrophic flooding and mudslides in Dominica without producing sustained tropical storm-force winds on the island. No action has been taken on this proposal yet.{{cite news|agency=British Caribbean Territories|publisher=World Meteorological Organization|date=March 26, 2017|access-date=March 26, 2017|title=Review of the Hurricane Operational Plan|url=http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/www/tcp/linkedfiles/HC_39_Doc62bct.docx}}

Formerly, if a season's primary list of names were fully used, subsequent storms would be assigned names based on the letters of the Greek alphabet.[https://web.archive.org/web/20231218172551/https://public-old.wmo.int/en/media/news/2020-hurricane-season-exhausts-regular-list-of-names "Active 2020 hurricane season exhausts regular list of names"], World Meteorological Organization, September 15, 2020. According to the WMO's initial policy established in 2006, the Greek letter named storms could never be retired "lest an irreplaceable chunk be taken out of the alphabet." Therefore, devastating 2020 hurricanes Eta and Iota would have been retired as "Eta 2020" and "Iota 2020" respectively, but the letter names themselves would remain available for use whenever Greek alphabet letter names were needed again in subsequent years.{{cite news| last=Cappucci| first=Matthew| title=Hurricanes Eta and Iota brought disaster to Central America. Officials can't retire their names| date=November 17, 2020| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2020/11/17/greek-letter-hurricane-names-retire/| newspaper=The Washington Post| access-date=August 17, 2021| archive-date=May 30, 2021| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210530015457/https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2020/11/17/greek-letter-hurricane-names-retire/| url-status=live}} However, this plan was never implemented, as the names Eta and Iota were both formally retired without the year descriptor by the WMO in 2021. The organization also abandoned the Greek alphabet auxiliary list in favor of a new auxiliary naming list.{{cite web |publisher=World Meteorological Organization |title=WMO Hurricane Committee retires tropical cyclone names and ends the use of Greek alphabet |url=https://public-old.wmo.int/en/media/press-release/wmo-hurricane-committee-retires-tropical-cyclone-names-and-ends-use-of-greek |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231218171017/https://public-old.wmo.int/en/media/press-release/wmo-hurricane-committee-retires-tropical-cyclone-names-and-ends-use-of-greek |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 18, 2023 |access-date=March 17, 2021 |date=March 17, 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2021/03/wmo-atlantic-hurricanes-no-longer-to-receive-names-from-greek-alphabet/|title=WMO: Atlantic hurricanes no longer to receive names from Greek alphabet|publisher=Yale Climate Connections|location=New Haven, Connecticut|date=March 19, 2021|access-date=February 1, 2022|last=Masters|first=Jeff|archive-date=March 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210319161856/https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2021/03/wmo-atlantic-hurricanes-no-longer-to-receive-names-from-greek-alphabet/|url-status=live}}

File:Carol in Rhode Island.jpg inundates the Edgewood Yacht Club in Rhode Island.]]

Between 1954 and 1959, eight names were deemed significant enough to be retired for 10 years due to their impact before being permanently retired after 1969. There were no names retired for the 1956, 1958, and 1959 seasons.{{RA IV Hurricane Operational Plan}}{{cite book |publisher=United States Hurricane Research Division |date=April 27, 2016 |access-date=September 2, 2023 |chapter-url=https://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd-faq/#retired-names |chapter=Subject: B3) What storm names have been retired? |archive-date=September 1, 2023 |title=Tropical Cyclone Frequently Asked Questions |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230901040902/https://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd-faq/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/retirednames.shtml |title=Tropical Cyclone Naming History and Retired Names |access-date=January 28, 2018 |publisher=United States National Hurricane Center |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150607205216/http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutnames_history.shtml |archive-date=June 7, 2015 |url-status=live }} Collectively, these storms resulted in at least {{#expr:72+29+1191+25+184+7+1023+416}} fatalities and over {{ntsp|{{#expr:150000000+47800000+88000000+831000000+40000000+382000000+42000000+462000000}}||$}} in damage. The deadliest hurricane was Hurricane Hazel, which killed at least 1,191 people, while the costliest was Hurricane Diane, which caused {{ntsp|831000000||US$}} in damage.

File:Hurricane Betsy.jpg

In 1960, four rotating lists of names were developed to avoid creating new lists each year, while the practice of retiring any particularly damaging storm names for 10 years continued, with 11 names deemed significant enough to be retired during the decade.{{cite report|type=Mariners Weather Log: March 1960|year=1960|title=New Procedure for naming tropical cyclones in the North Atlantic|publisher=United States Weather Bureau|volume=4|issue=2|editor=Kohler, Joseph P}} At the 1969 Hurricane Warning Conference, the National Hurricane Center requested that Carol, Edna, Hazel, and Inez be permanently retired due to their importance to the research community.{{cite conference|url=http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/general/lib/lib1/nhclib/Publications/HOP%27s/HurWarningConf1969-.pdf |title=Report of the 1969 Interdepartmental Hurricane Warning Conference (Combined - Atlantic and Pacific) |date=March 1969 |conference=1969 Interdepartmental Hurricane Warning Conference |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201115712/http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/general/lib/lib1/nhclib/Publications/HurWarningConf/HurWarningConf1969-.pdf |archive-date=February 1, 2017 |location=Miami, Florida |page=12 |access-date=April 10, 2015 |url-status=dead }} This request was subsequently accepted and led to today's practice of retiring names of significant tropical cyclones permanently. There were no names retired for the 1962 and 1968 seasons.{{#tag:ref||name=TCOP|group=nb}} Collectively, the 11 systems were responsible for at least {{#expr:364+46+319+7193+217+5+38+75+1269+59+256}} fatalities and in excess of {{ntsp|{{#expr:900000000+408000000+60300000+528550000+198000000+250000000+125000000+1420500000+615500000+207650000+1420700000}}||$}} in damage.

File:David 1979-08-31 1700Z.jpg at its peak intensity.]]

Starting in 1979, the WMO began assigning both male and female names to tropical cyclones. This decade featured hurricanes David and Frederic, the first male Atlantic hurricane names to be retired. During this decade, 9 storms were deemed significant enough to have their names retired. Together these 9 systems caused at least {{ntsp|{{#expr:930000000+2100000000+162000000+1800000000+550000000+26000000+1540000000+2300000000}}||$}} in damage, while at least {{#expr:20+124+8+8200+80+10+5+2068+12}} people lost their lives. No names were retired for the 1971, 1973, and 1976 seasons.

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File:Gilbert 1988-09-13 2200Z.png at its peak intensity.]]

After control of the naming of hurricanes was turned over to the WMO's Hurricane Committee during the mid-1970s, the 1980s marked the least prolific decade regarding the number of retired storms, with 7 names warranting removal. Between them the 7 systems caused over {{ntsp|{{#expr:1237600000+3000000000+1250000000+900000000+5000000000+2000000000+9700000000}}||$}} in damage while over {{#expr:269+21+9+9+318+216+49}} people lost their lives. Hurricane Gilbert was the most intense tropical cyclone during the decade by pressure, with a minimum value of 888 hPa (26.22 inHg). This was the lowest recorded pressure in a North Atlantic hurricane until Hurricane Wilma surpassed it in 2005.{{cite journal|author1=Beven, John L|author2=Avila, Lixion A|author3=Blake, Eric S|author4=Brown, Daniel P|author5=Franklin, James L|author6=Knabb, Richard D|author7=Pasch, Richard J|author8=Rhome, Jamie R|author9=Stewart, Stacy R|title=Atlantic Hurricane Season of 2005|date=March 1, 2008|journal=Monthly Weather Review|volume=136|issue=3|pages=1109–1173|doi=10.1175/2007MWR2074.1|bibcode = 2008MWRv..136.1109B |doi-access=free}} In addition, Hurricane Allen was the most intense tropical cyclone during the decade by wind speed, with maximum 1–minute sustained winds of 190 mph (305 km/h). This remains the highest sustained wind speed of any Atlantic hurricane on record.{{cite web|last1=Doyle|first1=Rice|title=Patricia tops list of world's strongest storms|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2015/10/23/hurricane-patricia-strongest-hurricane/74461754/|website=USA Today|access-date=April 12, 2017|archive-date=May 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240524152404/https://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2015/10/23/hurricane-patricia-strongest-hurricane/74461754/|url-status=live}} There were no names retired for 1981, 1982, 1984, 1986, and 1987 seasons, which was the most of any decade since the introduction of the practice of retiring hurricane names.

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Image:Destruction following hurricane andrew.jpg in Miami.]]

During the 1990s, the Atlantic Ocean moved into its active era, which led to more tropical cyclones forming during the hurricane seasons. The decade featured Hurricane Andrew, which at the time was the costliest hurricane on record, and also Hurricane Mitch, which is considered to be the deadliest tropical cyclone to have its name retired, killing over 11,000 people in Central America. A total of 15 names were retired in this decade, seven during the 1995 and 1996 seasons. Cumulatively, the 15 systems caused over {{ntsp|{{#expr:90000000+1000000+1500000000+27250000000+2500000000+2100000000+4700000000+1500000000+202960000+5000000000+158000000+9373600495+6080000000+6900000000+685800000}}||$}} in damage while over {{#expr:96+11+17+65+19+8+59+14+113+26+39+604+19325+57+17}} people lost their lives. No names were retired for the 1993, 1994, and 1997 seasons.

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File:Hurricane Katrina LA landfall radar.gif making landfall in Louisiana on August 29, 2005.]]

After the Atlantic basin had moved into the warm phase of the Atlantic multidecadal oscillation during the mid-1990s, the 2000s marked the most prolific decade in terms of the number of retired storms, with 24 names warranting removal.{{#tag:ref||name=TCOP|group=nb}} The decade featured one of the costliest tropical cyclones on record, Hurricane Katrina, which inflicted roughly {{ntsp|125000000000||US$}} in damage across the Gulf Coast of the United States. Katrina was also the deadliest hurricane to strike the United States since the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane. After stalling over and flooding southeastern Texas, and causing approximately {{ntsp|9000000000||US$}} in damage, Tropical Storm Allison became the first tropical storm in this basin to have its name retired, while subtropical storms started to be named during 2002.{{cite news|author=Grow, Erica|title=Facts Worth Knowing About Tropical Storms|url=http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2011/06/five_reasons_another_tropical.php|access-date=December 10, 2012|date=August 26, 2012|agency=WX Edge|archive-date=December 11, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131211225958/http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2011/06/five_reasons_another_tropical.php|url-status=dead}}{{cite book|author=McAdie, Colin J|page=14|author2=Landsea, Christopher W|author3=Neumann, Charles J|author4=David, Joan E|author5=Blake, Eric S|author6=Hammer, Gregory R|author7=National Hurricane Center|author8=National Climatic Data Center|date=August 20, 2009|edition=Sixth|title=Tropical Cyclones of the North Atlantic Ocean, 1851 – 2006|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/TC_Book_Atl_1851-2006_lowres.pdf|access-date=January 19, 2013|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service|archive-date=June 28, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628184616/http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/TC_Book_Atl_1851-2006_lowres.pdf|url-status=live}} Hurricane Jeanne was the deadliest storm during the decade and was responsible for over 3,000 deaths, when it impacted Haiti and other parts of the Caribbean as a tropical storm and minimal hurricane.{{cite report|title=Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Jeanne: September 13 – 28 |url={{NHC TCR url|id=AL112004_Jeanne}} |author=Lawrence, Miles B |author2=Cobb, Hugh D |date=November 22, 2004 |archive-date=April 18, 2024 |url-status=live |publisher=United States National Hurricane Center |access-date=September 13, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240418010714/https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL112004_Jeanne.pdf }} During October 2005, Hurricane Wilma became the most intense tropical cyclone in the Atlantic basin on record, with a central pressure of {{convert|882|hPa|inHg|abbr=on|sigfig=4}}. There were no names retired for the 2006 and 2009 seasons. Collectively, the 24 systems were responsible for nearly 7,900 fatalities and in excess of {{ntsp|300000000000||US$}} in damage.

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File:Harvey 2017-08-25 2337Z.jpg hours before landfall in Texas on August 25, 2017]]

Some of the most devastating hurricanes to hit the United States in recorded history did so in the 2010s, a decade in which 30 named storms were classified as major hurricanes (out of 152 named storms).{{cite news| last1=Chow| first1=Denise| last2=Williams| first2=Andrew| date=December 10, 2019| title=This year's Atlantic hurricane season was worse than normal, but it wasn't nearly as destructive as much of the last 10 years| url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/weather/atlantic-hurricane-seasons-2019-2010-graphics-data-n1091986| publisher=NBC News| access-date=March 18, 2021| archive-date=March 17, 2021| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210317061724/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/weather/atlantic-hurricane-seasons-2019-2010-graphics-data-n1091986| url-status=live}} Altogether, 16 tropical cyclone names were retired during the 2010s.{{#tag:ref||name=TCOP|group=nb}} Collectively, these systems killed at least 4779 people and caused at least {{ntsp|{{#expr:200000000+347950000+14200000000+68680000000+1500000000+511400000+200000000+15088000000+190000000+125000000000+77180000000+91610000000+767000000+24000000000+25100000000+5100000000}}||$}} worth of damage. Among them, Hurricane Maria was the most intense tropical cyclone by pressure, with a minimum value of 908 hPa (26.81 inHg), as well as the deadliest, with 3,057 fatalities directly or indirectly caused by Maria. Hurricane Dorian was the most intense in terms of wind speed, with maximum sustained winds of 185 mph (295 km/h). Hurricane Harvey was the decade's costliest system, as well as the costliest overall, tied with 2005's Katrina. There were no names retired for the 2014 season.

File:Helene 2024-09-27 0146Z.jpg at peak intensity just prior to landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida on September 26, 2024]]

Nine tropical cyclone names have been retired so far in the 2020s. Hurricane Laura was the costliest hurricane of the 2020 season, causing over $23 billion in damages, much of which occurred along the southwestern Louisiana coast as a result of its {{convert|18|ft||disp=preunit||abbr=on}} storm surge. Hurricanes Eta and Iota both made landfall in Nicaragua, with Iota doing so with maximum sustained winds near {{convert|145|mph|abbr=on}}. Each brought torrential rain and then flooding to much of Central America.{{cite news| last1=Chinchar| first1=Allison| last2=Brink| first2=Haley| title=The Greek alphabet will never be used again to name tropical storms| date=March 17, 2021| publisher=CNN Meteorologists| url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/17/weather/weather-hurricane-retired-name-list-greek-alphabet/index.html| access-date=March 18, 2021| archive-date=March 17, 2021| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210317220312/https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/17/weather/weather-hurricane-retired-name-list-greek-alphabet/index.html| url-status=live}} Hurricane Ida made landfall in southeastern Louisiana with sustained winds of {{cvt|130|kn|mph km/h|round=5|order=out}}; the costliest hurricane of the 2021 season, Ida caused $75 billion damage and directly caused 55 deaths from the southeastern United States to New England.{{cite report| author1=Beven, John L| author2=Hagen, Andrew| author3=Berg, Robbie| title=Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Ida| publisher=United States National Hurricane Center| date=April 4, 2022| access-date=April 27, 2022| url={{NHC TCR url|id=AL092021_Ida}}| archive-date=April 5, 2022| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220405163616/https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL092021_Ida.pdf| url-status=live}} Hurricane Fiona caused major devastation to the islands in the Caribbean Sea and was the most intense storm by barometric pressure to strike Atlantic Canada. Hurricane Ian was the third-costliest tropical cyclone on record, only behind hurricanes Katrina and Harvey in 2005 and 2017, respectively. Ian made landfall in western Florida and devastated the state before losing hurricane strength. Thereafter, Ian entered the Atlantic Ocean, intensifying to Category 1 strength, and hit the coast of South Carolina. Hurricane Beryl was the earliest Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic on record, beating the record set by Emily in 2005 by more than two weeks, and proceeded to devastate the island of Grenada, before later hitting the state of Texas and causing significant damage. After making landfall in the Big Bend Region of Florida, Hurricane Helene caused catastrophic flooding and killed hundreds in the southeastern United States. Hurricane Milton formed 10 days later and within 48 hours, it became the most intense hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico for the 2024 season, with its central pressure tying for fourth place with Rita of 2005. After weakening, Milton struck Florida, causing a prolific tornado outbreak in the state that was aided by a dip of the jet stream, as well as causing major damage across the central part of the state. There were no names retired for the 2023 season.

• Lists of Atlantic hurricanes
• List of historical tropical cyclone names
• List of retired Pacific hurricane names
• List of retired Pacific typhoon names
• List of retired Philippine typhoon names
• List of retired Australian region cyclone names
• List of retired South Pacific cyclone names

{{Reflist|group=nb}}

{{reflist|30em}}

• [http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pastall.shtml National Hurricane Center's Post-Season Reports] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080808105841/http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pastall.shtml |date=2008-08-08 }}
• [http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pastdeadly.shtml NHC's list of deadliest hurricanes]
• [https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/billions/dcmi.pdf NHC's list of costliest US hurricanes], current as of April 8, 2020

{{Retired Atlantic hurricanes}}

{{Retired tropical cyclone names}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Retired Atlantic Hurricane Names}}

Atlantic hurricane

Retired hurricane names