The World Meteorological Organization Retires 4 Tropical Cyclone Names
Published: April 29, 2021
From March 15-17, 2021, The World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) Hurricane Committee met virtually to discuss the impacts that occurred from a combined 48 tropical cyclones that occurred during the 2019* and 2020 Atlantic hurricane seasons. Every year, the committee meets to discuss impacts from the previous year’s Atlantic hurricane season, as well as to potentially retire any tropical cyclone names. Tropical cyclone names are typically reused every 6 years; however, any storm name can be retired if its effects are rendered severe or deadly enough by the WMO.
At this year’s meeting, the WMO decided to retire 4 tropical cyclone names - Dorian, Laura, Eta, and Iota. All four were major hurricanes (obtaining category 3 status or higher) that caused catastrophic damage in the Atlantic basin. The only name to be retired from 2019, Dorian was a category 5 hurricane that struck the Bahama islands in September 2019. Dorian damaged 75% of homes on the island chain, with a total of over $3.4 billion in damage. In 2020, Laura, the strongest hurricane to make landfall in Louisiana since 1856, was a destructive category 4 hurricane that made landfall in Cameron, Louisiana in August 2020. Laura caused storm surge of over 5 feet and attributed to 47 deaths in the US. Major hurricanes Eta and Iota wreaked havoc in Nicaragua and Honduras in November 2020. They made landfall less than two weeks apart within 15 miles of each other, causing extensive flooding and landslides, resulting in the deaths of 272 people in Central America.
Below is an alphabetical list of names that have been retired by the WMO for the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico from 1954 to 2020. It is important to note that some years have more than one name being retired, with the most being 5 names in 2005, and some years have none. 93 names have been retired in total since 1954. To find out more, click here.
Alphabetical List of Names Retired by WMO for the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico from 1954 to 2020
Cyclones Agnes-Erika
Agnes 1972 Alicia 1983 Allen 1980 Allison 2001 Andrew 1992 Anita 1977 Audrey 1957 Betsy 1965 Beulah 1967 Bob 1991 Camille 1969 Carla 1961 Carmen 1974 Carol 1954 Celia 1970 Cesar 1996 Charley 2004 Cleo 1964 Connie 1955 David 1979 Dean 2007 Dennis 2005 Diana 1990 Diane 1955 Donna 1960 Dora 1964 Dorian 2019 Edna 1954 Elena 1985 Eloise 1975 Erika 2015
Cyclones Eta-Isabel
Eta 2020 Fabian 2003 Felix 2007 Fifi 1974 Flora 1963 Florence 2018 Floyd 1999 Fran 1996 Frances 2004 Frederic 1979 Georges 1998 Gilbert 1988 Gloria 1985 Greta 1978 Gustav 2008 Harvey 2017 Hattie 1961 Hazel 1954 Hilda 1964 Hortense 1996 Hugo 1989 Igor 2010 Ike 2008 Inez 1966 Ingrid 2013 Ione 1955 Iota 2020 Irene 2011 Iris 2001 Irma 2017 Isabel 2003
Cyclones Isidore-Wilma
Isidore 2002 Ivan 2004 Janet 1955 Jeanne 2004 Joan 1988 Joaquin 2015 Juan 2003 Katrina 2005 Keith 2000 Klaus 1990 Laura 2020 Lenny 1999 Lili 2002 Luis 1995 Maria 2017 Marilyn 1995 Matthew 2016 Michael 2018 Michelle 2001 Mitch 1998 Nate 2017 Noel 2007 Opal 1995 Otto 2016 Paloma 2008 Rita 2005 Roxanne 1995 Sandy 2012 Stan 2005 Tomas 2010 Wilma 2005
* Typically, the committee would meet annually, however, the conference meeting for the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season was postponed in April 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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