Tropical Cyclone Names (2024)

Contents

• Atlantic
• Eastern North Pacific
• Central North Pacific
• Other Basins

Atlantic Names

Atlantic Pronunciation Guide (PDF)

Since 1953, Atlantic tropical storms had been named from lists originatedby the National Hurricane Center. They are now maintained and updated througha strict procedure by an international committee of the World Meteorological Organization.

The six lists above are used in rotation and re-cycled every six years, i.e., the 2023 list will be used again in 2029. The only time that there is a change in the list is if a storm is so deadlyor costly that the future use of its name for a different storm would beinappropriate for reasons of sensitivity. If that occurs, then at an annualmeeting by the WMO committee (called primarily to discuss many other issues)the offending name is stricken from the list and another name is selected toreplace it. Several names have been retired since the lists were created. Here is more information on the history of naming tropical cyclones and retired names.

If a storm forms during the off-season, it will take the next name in the list based on the current calendar date. For example, if a tropical cyclone formed on December 28th, it would take the name from the previousseason's list of names. If a storm formed in February, it would be named from the subsequent season's list of names.

In the event that more than twenty-one named tropical cyclones occur in the Atlantic basin in a season, any additional storms will take names from an alternate list of names approved by the WMO. Here are the pronunciation guides for the Atlantic basin.

Can I have a tropical cyclone named for me?

Eastern North Pacific Names

Eastern North Pacific Pronunciation Guide (PDF)

These lists are also re-cycled every six years (the 2023 list will be used again in 2029).

In the event that more than twenty-four named tropical cyclones in the eastern North Pacific basin in a season,any additional storms will take names from an alternate list of names approved by the WMO. Here are the pronunciation guides for the eastern North Pacific basin.

Central North Pacific Names

Central North Pacific Pronunciation Guide (PDF)

The names are used one after the other. When the bottom of one list isreached, the next name is the top of the next list.

Other Basin Names (Worldwide)

Lists of names for other tropical cyclone basins outside of NHC responsibility can be found on the World Meteorological Organization tropical cyclone naming page.