[WFLA] The 2023 Atlantic Hurricane Season is less than a month away, and while no one can predict exactly when the first storm will appear, we’ve known its name for years: Arlene.
The World Meteorological Organization maintains six lists of 21 names that are used in a six-year rotation. If the names on the 2023 list sound familiar, it’s likely you heard them in 2017.
2017’s Irma was struck from the list after the storm was determined to be responsible for 129 deaths in the U.S., according to the CDC. Idalia will take its place in 2023, along with three other names that haven’t been used for tropical cyclones before.
The WMO committee convenes annually and removes a name from the list if it is associated with an especially costly or deadly storm. This is done “for reasons of sensitivity,” according to the National Hurricane Center.
A total of 96 names have been removed from the Atlantic hurricane list since 1953. The full list of retired names can be found on the National Hurricane Center website.
Below, find the full list of 2023 hurricane names:
- Arlene
- Bret
- Cindy
- Don
- Emily
- Franklin
- Gert
- Harold
- Idalia
- Jose
- Katia
- Lee
- Margot
- Nigel
- Ophelia
- Philippe
- Rina
- Sean
- Tammy
- Vince
- Whitney
Prior to the 1950s, tropical cyclones were tracked by the order in which they formed each year, according to NOAA. This led to confusion when multiple storms were churning in the Atlantic simultaneously.
“Storms are given short, distinctive names to avoid confusion and streamline communications,” according to the NOAA website.
From 1953-1979, only female names were used for storms.
In 2021, the WMO created a supplemental list of names to be used in case the regular list was exhausted. This came after a busy 2020 season that blew through the regular list of names, plus the entire Greek alphabet, which was the previous backup plan.
The WMO chose to stop using the Greek alphabet because it drew attention away from the storms themselves and was difficult to translate. It resulted in concurrent storms with similar-sounding names, which caused confusion.
The WMO determined there simply aren’t enough names beginning with Q, U, X, Y, and Z. They would need six of each, plus a few in reserve, in case a name gets retired.
Names beginning with those letters can also be difficult to understand across multiple languages.
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