Hurricane names Beryl, Helene and Milton retired
Boats sit after being pushed ashore by floodwaters from Hurricane Helene on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (Photo credit: AP/Mike Carlson)
Beryl, Helene and Milton have officially been retired as Atlantic hurricane names, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) announced Wednesday. The names Brianna, Holly and Miguel will replace them on the rotating list.
John has also been retired from the eastern Pacific list and will be replaced by Jake.
The rotating lists of names is overseen by the WMO, and when a hurricane is particularly destructive, its name may be retired. The retirement of hurricane names is an important process that helps remember the impact of devastating storms and honor its victims.
Naming storms is a relatively recent practice that originated in 1950 with the implementation of the phonetic alphabet by the U.S. Weather Bureau. The phonetic alphabet was eventually replaced. In 1953, women's names were introduced for storm identification, and by 1979, men's names were also included for Atlantic and Gulf storms.
The primary reason for naming storms is to facilitate quick and efficient communication. Using concise names instead of latitude and longitude coordinates allows meteorologists to reference storms quickly, reducing the potential for errors.
Naming storms is also important when multiple storms occur simultaneously. For instance, while one hurricane may be active in the Gulf of Mexico, another could be approaching the Atlantic coast.
A total of 100 names have now been retired and will never be used again, including the names of historic storms like Harvey, Ian, Katrina, Michael, and Sandy.
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