Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico and the North Atlantic Names

The six lists are used in rotation and the 2022 list will be used again in 2028.

The list of hurricane names covers only 21 letters of the alphabet as it is difficult to find six suitable names (one for each of the 6 rotating lists) starting with Q, U, X, Y and Z. In the interests of safety, the name must be instantly recognizable. In addition, English, French and Spanish names are used in balance on the list in order to reflect the geographical coverage of Atlantic and Caribbean storms. The list is also gender balanced and respectful of societal sensitivities.

Until 2020, when a very active hurricane season occurred and the list was exhausted, the Greek alphabet was used (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta, Eta, Theta, etc). This has occurred twice. The first time was in 2005 - a record-breaking year with several devastating hurricanes including Katrina, Rita and Wilma, whose names were all retired - when six names from the Greek alphabet were used. The second was in 2020 - a new new-record-breaking year with 30 named tropical storms of which nine names from the Greek alphabet, including the devastating hurricanes Eta and Iota.

Starting 2021, in lieu of the Greek alphabet, the lists of supplemental tropical cyclones names will be used.

A name can be retired or withdrawn from the active list at the request of any Member State if a tropical cyclone by that name acquires special notoriety because of the human casualties and damage incurred. The decision to withdraw or retire a name is reached by consensus (or majority vote) during the WMO Regional Association IV Hurricane Committee session that immediately follows the season in question.

Background information regarding the use of the Greek alphabet

The WMO Regional Association IV Hurricane Committee annual session in 2006 discussed the use of the Greek alphabet for hurricane naming, and whether a Greek alphabet name should be retired as done for a regular name when it meets the criteria for retirement. The Committee felt that the use of the Greek alphabet was not expected to be frequent enough to warrant any change in the existing naming procedure for the foreseeable future and therefore decided that the naming system would remain unchanged and that the Greek alphabet would continue to be used.

In this connection, the Committee also agreed that it was not practical to “retire into hurricane history” a letter in the Greek alphabet. Therefore, if a significant storm designated by a letter of the Greek alphabet, in either the Atlantic or eastern North Pacific Basin, is “retired”, the year of occurrence and other details would be included.

However, after the record-breaking 2020 season, the WMO Regional Association IV Hurricane Committee annual session in 2021, decided to end the use of the Greek alphabet and instead, established two lists of supplemental tropical cyclone names, one of the Atlantic, one for the Pacific. 

2022

2023

2024

2025

2026

2027

Supplemental List

Alex

Arlene

Alberto

Andrea

Arthur

Ana

Adria

Bonnie

Bret

Beryl

Barry

Bertha

Bill

Braylen

Colin

Cindy

Chris

Chantal

Cristobal

Claudette

Caridad

Danielle

Don

Debby

Dexter

Dolly

Danny

Deshawn

Earl

Emily

Ernesto

Erin

Edouard

Elsa

Emery

Fiona

Franklin

Francine

Fernand

Fay

Fred

Foster

Gaston

Gert

Gordon

Gabrielle

Gonzalo

Grace

Gemma

Hermine

Harold

Helene

Humberto

Hanna

Henri

Heath

Ian

Idalia

Isaac

Imelda

Isaias

Imani

Isla

Julia

Jose

Joyce

Jerry

Josephine

Julian

Jacobus

Karl

Katia

Kirk

Karen

Kyle

Kate

Kenzie

Lisa

Lee

Leslie

Lorenzo

Leah

Larry

Lucio

Martin

Margot

Milton

Melissa

Marco

Mindy

Makayla

Nicole

Nigel

Nadine

Nestor

Nana

Nicholas

Nolan

Owen

Ophelia

Oscar

Olga

Omar

Odette

Orlanda

Paula

Philippe

Patty

Pablo

Paulette

Peter

Pax

Richard

Rina

Rafael

Rebekah

Rene

Rose

Ronin

Shary

Sean

Sara

Sebastien

Sally

Sam

Sophie

Tobias

Tammy

Tony

Tanya

Teddy

Teresa

Tayshaun

Virginie

Vince

Valerie

Van

Vicky

Victor

Viviana

Walter

Whitney

William

Wendy

Wilfred

Wanda

Will