The process of retiring hurricane names

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Tropical Storms and Hurricanes are named for organizational purposes so meteorologists can better communicate storms to the public. Each basin has its own respected list of alphabetical names, which are cycled to avoid confusion.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), a specialized United Nations agency made up of scientists across 193 member states and territories, not only names tropical systems but can also retire them. The WMO prioritizes making meteorological data more accessible across the globe, focuses on the impacts of climate change, and provides national services if needed.

Retiring a name isn't based on a specific category, but rather based on assessing the damage, cost of rebuilding, and fatalities of a storm. A country impacted by a hurricane can request for the name to be retired at the end of the hurricane season to the WMO.

The WMO determines if the hurricane name should be retired the spring after the season.

Since 2020, the WMO retired 6 hurricanes in the Atlantic Basin. The most recent Texas landfall retired storm was Harvey (2017).

Hurricane Ian was the last Atlantic Basin retired storm.