Comprehensive list of retired Atlantic hurricane names (1955-2016) (2015, storm, seasons)

[Craziaskowboi]

Here's a list of all Atlantic hurricane names that have been retired since the United States Weather Bureau began the practice in 1955, and the years in which the hurricanes impacted:


A

Audrey (1957)
Agnes (1972)
Anita (1977)
Allen (1980)
Alicia (1983)
Andrew (1992)
Allison (2001)


B

Betsy (1965)
Beulah (1967)
Bob (1991)


C

Carol (1954)
Connie (1955)
Carla (1961)
Cleo (1964)
Camille (1969)
Celia (1970)
Carmen (1974)
Cesar (1996)
Charley (2004)


D

Diane (1955)
Donna (1960)
Dora (1964)
David (1979)
Diana (1990)
Dennis (2005)
Dean (2007)


E

Edna (1954)
Eloise (1975)
Elena (1985)
Erika (2015)


F

Flora (1963)
Fifi (1974)
Frederic (1979)
Fran (1996)
Floyd (1999)
Fabian (2003)
Frances (2004)
Felix (2007)


G

Greta (1978)
Gloria (1985)
Gilbert (1988)
Georges (1998)
Gustav (2008)


H

Hazel (1954)
Hattie (1961)
Hilda (1964)
Hugo (1989)
Hortense (1996)


I

Ione (1955)
Inez (1966)
Iris (2001)
Isidore (2002)
Isabel (2003)
Ivan (2004)
Ike (2008)
Igor (2010)
Irene (2011)
Ingrid (2013)


J

Janet (1955)
Joan (1988)
Juan (2003)
Jeanne (2004)
Joaquin (2015)


K

Klaus (1990)
Keith (2000)
Katrina (2005)


L

Luis (1995)
Lenny (1999)
Lili (2002)


M

Marilyn (1995)
Mitch (1998)
Michelle (2001)
Matthew (2016)


N

Noel (2007)


O

Opal (1995)
Otto (2016)


P

Paloma (2008)


R

Roxanne (1995)
Rita (2005)


S

Stan (2005)
Sandy (2012)


T

Tomas (2010)


W

Wilma (2005)


Frequency of retired hurricane names by letter

10 - I
9 - C
8 - F
7 - A, D
5 - G, H, J
4 - E, M
3 - B, K, L
2 - O, R, S
1 - N, P, T, W
0 - V


No names were retired after the 1956, 1958, 1959, 1962, 1968, 1971, 1973, 1976, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1993, 1994, 1997, 2006, 2009 or 2014 hurricane seasons. Every letter in the first half of the alphabet (A-M) has had three or more names retired. Every eligible letter in the second half of the alphabet (N-W) has had two or fewer names retired. V is the only eligible letter that doesn't yet have a retired name.

[mcwick]

What prompts a retirement? Is it a certain level of damage or monetary cost? I recall living through two Allison's in Houston - one in the late 80s or early 90s and then the big one in 01. I remember a lot of damage from the first one, but maybe it didn't meet the threshold for retirement?

[Craziaskowboi]

Originally Posted by mcwick

What prompts a retirement? Is it a certain level of damage or monetary cost? I recall living through two Allison's in Houston - one in the late 80s or early 90s and then the big one in 01. I remember a lot of damage from the first one, but maybe it didn't meet the threshold for retirement?

Some combination of intensity, casualties and damage, it seems. Allison is one of the more controversial retirements because it was never a hurricane, but the flooding in Texas, Louisiana and other parts of the U.S. caused lots of death and destruction.

[Jdawg8181]

Originally Posted by Craziaskowboi

Some combination of intensity, casualties and damage, it seems. Allison is one of the more controversial retirements because it was never a hurricane, but the flooding in Texas, Louisiana and other parts of the U.S. caused lots of death and destruction.

Sandy wasn't either... technically, she was a tropical storm, she never made it to hurricane status


Where do the names even come from?

[dunno what to put here]

Originally Posted by Jdawg8181

Sandy wasn't either... technically, she was a tropical storm, she never made it to hurricane status


Where do the names even come from?

Actually this isn't true, it became a Cat 3 hurricane, but it wasn't a hurricane when it made landfall in New Jersey.

[Samantha830]

2017 will be the only time Irma will ever be used. The name came about after Irene was retired in 2011, and this is first official Irma.