Some seasonal hurricane names, like Katrina or Sandy, for storms have been out of use for years. It is not a coincidence. The list of retired hurricane names is an exclusive roster of the most devastating and deadly storms in history, a permanent mark of their impact. Each year, a rotating list of names is used for Atlantic and Eastern Pacific hurricanes, but when a storm's destruction is deemed too severe, the World Meteorological Organization's (WMO) Hurricane Committee votes to remove the name from the list forever.
This happens to avoid insensitivity and confusion, as these hurricane names become synonymous with tragedy. The names Beryl, Helene, and Milton were most recently added to this list of retired names in 2025, following the immense destruction they caused in the historic 2024 season, reminding us how quickly these historic moments of devastation can occur.
What was the First Hurricane Name to be Retired?
The practice of retiring hurricane names began in the mid-20th century, but the system has evolved over time. The very first storm name to be retired from the Atlantic list was Carol. This powerful Category 3 hurricane made landfall in New England in August 1954, causing widespread damage and flooding. The storm resulted in 60 deaths and over a quarter of a billion dollars in damage.
At the time, the naming system was less formal, and names were simply not reused in some cases. However, following the 1954 season, which also saw Hurricanes Edna and Hazel cause major damage and have their names retired, a new precedent was set. From that point on, it became clear that names associated with exceptionally destructive storms should be permanently removed from the rotation to honor the victims and prevent future confusion.
Check Out: America's Hurricane History: Check List of the Most Impactful Storms
List of Retired Hurricane Names by Year
Take a look at the tabular representation of each hurricane name in history so far by the World Meteorological Organization’s Hurricane Committee, separately for the Atlantic and Eastern or Central Pacific basins. The list also includes the years these storms have been active.
Retired Atlantic Hurricane Names
| Name | Year Active | Year Retired | Category Classification | Area Affected |
| Carol | 1954 | 1969 | 3 | Northeastern U.S., Canada |
| Edna | 1954 | 1969 | 3 | New England, Atlantic Canada |
| Hazel | 1954 | 1969 | 4 | The Caribbean, Eastern U.S., Canada |
| Connie | 1955 | 1969 | 4 | Mid-Atlantic, New England |
| Diane | 1955 | 1969 | 2 | Mid-Atlantic, New England |
| Ione | 1955 | 1969 | 4 | North Carolina |
| Janet | 1955 | 1969 | 5 | Lesser Antilles, Central America |
| Audrey | 1957 | 1969 | 3 | Southern U.S., Louisiana |
| Donna | 1960 | 1969 | 4 | The Caribbean, Eastern U.S. |
| Carla | 1961 | 1969 | 4 | Texas, Louisiana |
| Hattie | 1961 | 1969 | 5 | Central America |
| Flora | 1963 | 1969 | 4 | The Caribbean |
| Cleo | 1964 | 1969 | 4 | The Caribbean, Southeastern U.S. |
| Dora | 1964 | 1969 | 4 | Southeastern U.S. |
| Hilda | 1964 | 1969 | 4 | Southern U.S. |
| Betsy | 1965 | 1969 | 4 | Bahamas, Southeastern U.S. |
| Inez | 1966 | 1969 | 5 | The Caribbean, Florida, Mexico |
| Beulah | 1967 | 1969 | 5 | The Caribbean, Mexico, Texas |
| Camille | 1969 | 1970 | 5 | Cuba, Eastern U.S. |
| Celia | 1970 | 1971 | 4 | United States Gulf Coast |
| Agnes | 1972 | 1973 | 1 | Mexico, Cuba, Eastern U.S. |
| Carmen | 1974 | 1975 | 4 | Central America, Mexico, and Louisiana |
| Fifi | 1974 | 1975 | 3 | Honduras, Guatemala |
| Eloise | 1975 | 1976 | 3 | The Caribbean, Yucatán Peninsula, Florida |
| Anita | 1977 | 1978 | 5 | Mexico |
| David | 1979 | 1980 | 5 | Lesser Antilles, Hispaniola, Florida, Eastern U.S. |
| Frederic | 1979 | 1980 | 3 | Alabama, Mississippi |
| Allen | 1980 | 1981 | 5 | The Caribbean, Mexico, South Texas |
| Alicia | 1983 | 1984 | 3 | Texas |
| Elena | 1985 | 1986 | 3 | Mississippi, Alabama, Western Florida |
| Gloria | 1985 | 1986 | 3 | North Carolina, Northeastern U.S. |
| Gilbert | 1988 | 1989 | 5 | Jamaica, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico |
| Joan | 1988 | 1989 | 4 | Curacao, Venezuela, Colombia, Nicaragua |
| Hugo | 1989 | 1990 | 5 | Antilles, South Carolina |
| Diana | 1990 | 1991 | 4 | Mexico |
| Klaus | 1990 | 1991 | 1 | Martinique |
| Bob | 1991 | 1992 | 2 | North Carolina, Northeastern U.S. |
| Andrew | 1992 | 1993 | 5 | Bahamas, South Florida, Louisiana |
| Luis | 1995 | 1996 | 4 | Leeward Islands |
| Marilyn | 1995 | 1996 | 3 | Virgin Islands, Leeward Islands |
| Opal | 1995 | 1996 | 4 | Florida |
| Roxanne | 1995 | 1996 | 3 | Mexico |
| Cesar | 1996 | 1997 | 1 | Nicaragua |
| Fran | 1996 | 1997 | 3 | North Carolina |
| Hortense | 1996 | 1997 | 4 | Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic |
| Georges | 1998 | 1999 | 3 | Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Mississippi |
| Mitch | 1998 | 1999 | 5 | Central America, Nicaragua, Honduras |
| Floyd | 1999 | 2000 | 4 | North Carolina |
| Lenny | 1999 | 2000 | 4 | Virgin Islands, St. Maartin/St. Martin |
| Keith | 2000 | 2001 | 4 | Belize, Mexico |
| Allison (Tropical Storm) | 2001 | 2002 | TS | Texas, Northeast U.S. |
| Iris | 2001 | 2002 | 4 | Belize |
| Michelle | 2001 | 2002 | 4 | Cuba, Bahamas |
| Isidore | 2002 | 2003 | 3 | Cuba, Mexico, Louisiana |
| Lili | 2002 | 2003 | 4 | Cuba, Louisiana |
| Fabian | 2003 | 2004 | 4 | Bermuda |
| Isabel | 2003 | 2004 | 5 | North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland |
| Juan | 2003 | 2004 | 2 | Nova Scotia |
| Charley | 2004 | 2005 | 4 | Cuba, Florida |
| Frances | 2004 | 2005 | 4 | Florida |
| Ivan | 2004 | 2005 | 5 | Grenada, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Alabama, Florida |
| Jeanne | 2004 | 2005 | 3 | Haiti, Florida |
| Dennis | 2005 | 2006 | 4 | Cuba, Florida |
| Katrina | 2005 | 2006 | 5 | Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida |
| Rita | 2005 | 2006 | 5 | Louisiana, Texas, Florida |
| Stan | 2005 | 2006 | 1 | Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador |
| Wilma | 2005 | 2006 | 5 | Cuba, Florida |
| Dean | 2007 | 2008 | 5 | Mexico, Jamaica |
| Felix | 2007 | 2008 | 5 | Nicaragua, Honduras |
| Noel | 2007 | 2008 | 1 | Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Cuba |
| Gustav | 2008 | 2009 | 4 | Haiti, Jamaica, Cuba, Louisiana |
| Ike | 2008 | 2009 | 4 | Turks and Caicos, Cuba, Texas |
| Paloma | 2008 | 2009 | 4 | Cayman Islands, Cuba |
| Igor | 2010 | 2011 | 4 | Newfoundland, Bermuda |
| Tomas | 2010 | 2011 | 2 | Barbados, St. Vincent, Haiti |
| Irene | 2011 | 2012 | 3 | Bahamas, Mid-Atlantic, Northeast U.S. |
| Sandy | 2012 | 2013 | 3 | Jamaica, Cuba, Bahamas, Northeast U.S. |
| Ingrid | 2013 | 2014 | 1 | Mexico |
| Erika (Tropical Storm) | 2015 | 2016 | TS | Dominica |
| Joaquin | 2015 | 2016 | 4 | Bahamas |
| Matthew | 2016 | 2017 | 5 | Haiti, Cuba, Southeastern U.S. |
| Otto | 2016 | 2017 | 3 | Nicaragua, Costa Rica |
| Harvey | 2017 | 2018 | 4 | Texas, Louisiana |
| Irma | 2017 | 2018 | 5 | Leeward Islands, Cuba, Florida |
| Maria | 2017 | 2018 | 5 | Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico |
| Nate | 2017 | 2018 | 1 | Central America, Louisiana, Mississippi |
| Florence | 2018 | 2019 | 4 | North Carolina, South Carolina |
| Michael | 2018 | 2019 | 5 | Florida Panhandle |
| Dorian | 2019 | 2020 | 5 | The Bahamas, Southeastern U.S. |
| Eta | 2020 | 2021 | 4 | Central America, Cuba, Florida |
| Iota | 2020 | 2021 | 5 | Central America |
| Laura | 2020 | 2021 | 4 | Louisiana, Texas |
| Ida | 2021 | 2022 | 4 | Louisiana, Mississippi, Northeastern U.S. |
| Fiona | 2022 | 2023 | 4 | Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Atlantic Canada |
| Ian | 2022 | 2023 | 4 | Cuba, Florida |
| Beryl | 2024 | 2025 | 5 | Lesser Antilles, Mexico |
| Helene | 2024 | 2025 | 5 | The Caribbean, Southeastern U.S. |
| Milton | 2024 | 2025 | 5 | Mexico, Texas |
Also Read: From Lituya Bay to Alaska: The 5 Largest Tsunamis to Ever Hit American ShoresBREAKING: The names #Florence and #Michael have been retired by the World Meteorological Organization. Francine and Milton will replace them in the 2024 Atlantic #hurricane season: https://t.co/HiJZ17ffIr pic.twitter.com/ICNlDgLKH3
— The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) March 20, 2019
Eastern Pacific Retired Hurricane Names
| Name | Year Active | Year Retired | Category Classification | Area Affected |
| Hazel | 1965 | 1969 | TS | Mexico |
| Adele | 1970 | 1971 | 1 | None |
| Fico | 1978 | 1979 | 4 | Hawaii |
| Iwa | 1982 | 1983 | 1 | Hawaii |
| Knut | 1987 | 1988 | TS | None |
| Iva | 1988 | 1989 | 2 | None |
| Fefa | 1991 | 1992 | 3 | Hawaii |
| Iniki | 1992 | 1993 | 4 | Hawaii |
| Ismael | 1995 | 1996 | 1 | Northern Mexico |
| Pauline | 1997 | 1998 | 4 | Oaxaca, Guerrero, Mexico |
| Paka | 1997 | 1998 | 5 | Marshall Islands, Guam |
| Adolph | 2001 | 2002 | 4 | Western Mexico |
| Kenna | 2002 | 2003 | 5 | Western Mexico, Southwestern U.S. |
| Isis | 2004 | 2005 | 1 | None |
| Ioke | 2006 | 2007 | 5 | Johnston Atoll, Wake Island |
| Alma | 2008 | 2009 | TS | Nicaragua |
| Manuel | 2013 | 2014 | 1 | Western Mexico |
| Odile | 2014 | 2015 | 4 | Baja California Peninsula |
| Patricia | 2015 | 2016 | 5 | Central America, Mexico, Texas |
| Dora | 2023 | 2024 | 4 | Hawaii |
| Otis | 2023 | 2024 | 5 | Acapulco, Mexico |
| John | 2024 | 2025 | 3 | Mexico |
In conclusion, the retired hurricane names represent more than just a list; they are a memorial to the storms that have shaped communities and left a lasting mark on history. The World Meteorological Organization's decision to retire a name, as they did most recently with Beryl, Helene, and Milton, is a testament to the storm’s severe impact, ensuring that while the name may be retired, its lessons and memory will not be forgotten.
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