The United States has already suffered more than $25 billion in damages and at least 84 fatalities from weather events by 2024 – and the hurricane season has barely begun.
That economic data, compiled by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), comes as the federal agency prepares for an “extraordinary” hurricane season, with 25 named storms forecast. ‘supernormal’ strength.
Now the National Hurricane Center has released the names for the first 21 of those storms, according to center spokesperson Maria Torres.
“The only time there will be a change in the listing is if a storm is so deadly or costly that future use of the name for another storm would be inappropriate due to sensitivity,” Torres said.
The class of retired names includes Hurricanes Katrina, Stan, Wilson and Rita.
Forecasts for this year’s severe storms are based on a developing La Niña, a weather system that occurs when equatorial trade winds strengthen and shift ocean currents, combined with reduced Atlantic trade winds, NOAA advised.
Below is the list of hurricane and tropical storm names we’re sure you’ll hear about throughout the hurricane season.
The United States has already suffered more than $25 billion in damage and at least 84 fatalities from weather events by 2024 – and the hurricane season has barely begun
These economic figures come as federal agencies prepare for an “extraordinary” hurricane season, with 25 named storms of “above normal” strength forecast. Now the National Hurricane Center has released the names for the first 21 of those storms
“Atlantic tropical storms have been named on National Hurricane Center lists since 1953,” Torres noted.
“Contrary to popular belief, the National Hurricane Center does not exclusively list Atlantic tropical storms,” she explained. Newsweek.
“Instead, the list of names is maintained and updated by the World Meteorological Organization Region IV Hurricane Committee. NHC represents the United States on this committee,” she said.
NOAA officials said there could also be as many as seven tropical cyclones this year with winds of 110 miles per hour that could reach Category 3 or higher — the highest outlook ever given by the agency.
NOAA predicted that up to 13 of the named storms could become hurricanes and that up to seven hurricanes could have winds of 110 miles per hour.
Hurricane season officially begins on June 1, although tropical storms have formed earlier in recent years, prompting weather officials to consider moving the start date forward. The image above shows 2020 Category Four Hurricane Laura as seen via satellite over the Gulf Coast
“The names selected are usually, but not always, common names,” Torres said. ‘They are also representative of the ethnicity of the region.’
“In the Atlantic Basin,” she added, “the names are of English, Spanish, Portuguese origin and a few French.”
The storm names are selected alphabetically, one for each letter of the alphabet, and until 2021 any further names were selected using the Greek alphabet.
During the devastating 2020 hurricane season, nine letters of the Greek alphabet came into use, leading to the names of the powerful hurricanes Eta and Iota.
But the WMO Regional Association IV Hurricane Committee voted to stop using the Greek alphabet to name future storms the following year.
Those names are now being selected from an additional list of names agreed by the WMO.
There is data on the damage already suffered in the US during the first five months of severe storms published by NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information This Monday.
“Eleven individual billion-dollar weather and climate events occurred in the U.S. in the first five months of 2024,” administration officials said, “each with losses exceeding $1 billion.”
“These disasters consisted of nine major storms and two winter storms,” NOAA said.