WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Hurricanes Helene, Milton and Beryl were so nasty last year that their names are being retired.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on Wednesday officially replaced the names of the trio of 2024 storms that killed more than 300 people and caused more than $119 billion in damage.
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The National Hurricane Center said it would be insensitive to use the names again.
Brianna, Holly and Miguel take their place in the rotating six-year list of names for Atlantic storms set in advance by a committee of international meteorologists. Those names will be used in 2030.
Retiring the names of killer storms is a regular practice. The list of retired names is now approaching 100.
Hurricane Beryl became the earliest Atlantic Basin Category 5 hurricane on record and had major impacts in the Caribbean, especially in the Grenadian Islands. The WMO said in a news release that 98% of homes were damaged or destroyed on Carriacou and Petite Martinique.
Beryl's wind, rain, and tornadoes are directly responsible for 34 deaths with at least 34 more indirect deaths.
Hurricanes Helene and Milton caused catastrophic damage in the United States. Helene caused at least 249 fatalities, the majority of which occurred in North Carolina and South Carolina from catastrophic flooding.
Hurricane Milton's rate of rapid intensification was among the highest ever observed and produced a historic and deadly tornado outbreak across Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast on Oct. 9. Fifteen deaths were reported from Milton.
Can I nominate a hurricane name?
Unfortunately, no.
Historically, tropical storms and hurricanes have been named for hundreds of years, but the naming process has evolved into a strict procedure conducted by the WMO.
Each year, WMO members have an annual meeting where names are discussed. When they select a new name, they consider the following:
- Short in character length for ease of use in communication
- Easy to pronounce
- Appropriate significance in different languages
- Uniqueness – same names cannot be used in other regions
Naming storms helps meteorologists, agencies and the public distinguish the difference when there are multiple storms and to avoid confusion. Six different lists are rotated, comprised of 21 names in alphabetical order, excluding Q, U, X, Y and Z names.
The year that had the most names retired was in 2005 when Dennis, Katrina, Rita, Stan and Wilma each had notably devastating impacts.
The first tropical storm that forms in 2025 will be named Andrea.
Hurricane season starts June 1 and runs until Nov. 30.
