More than $25 billion in damage and at least 84 deaths have already hit the United States in 2024 due to weather events, and hurricane season has only just begun.
That economic data, compiled by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), comes as the federal agency prepares for an “extraordinary” hurricane season, forecasting 25 named storms that will reach ‘above normal’ power.
Now, the National Hurricane Center has released the names of the first 21 of those storms, according to center spokeswoman Maria Torres.
“The only time there is a change to the list is if a storm is so deadly or costly that future use of its name on a different storm would be inappropriate for sensitivity reasons,” Torres said.
The class of retired names includes Hurricanes Katrina, Stan, Wilson and Rita.
Predictions for this year’s strong storms are based on the development of La Niña, a weather system that occurs when equatorial trade winds strengthen and cause ocean currents to change, combined with a reduction in Atlantic trade winds, it warned. NOAA.
Below is the list of hurricane and tropical storm names that you are sure to hear the most about throughout the hurricane season.
More than $25 billion in damage and at least 84 deaths have already hit the United States in 2024 due to weather events, and hurricane season has only just begun.
This economic data comes as federal agencies prepare for an “extraordinary” hurricane season, forecasting 25 named storms with “above normal” power. Now, the National Hurricane Center has released the names of the first 21 of those storms.
‘Since 1953, Atlantic tropical storms had been named from lists originated by the National Hurricane Center,’ Torres noted.
“Contrary to popular belief, the National Hurricane Center does not exclusively name Atlantic tropical storms,” he explained to news week.
‘Rather, the list of names is maintained and updated by the World Meteorological Organization’s Region IV Hurricane Committee. NHC represents the United States on this committee,” she said.
NOAA officials said there could also be up to seven tropical cyclones this year with wind speeds of 111 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 up to seven could have winds of 111 miles per hour.
Hurricane season officially begins June 1, although tropical storms have formed earlier in recent years, prompting weather officials to consider moving up the start date. The image above shows 2020 Category Four Hurricane Laura as seen via satellite over the Gulf Coast.
“The names selected are usually common names, although not always,” according to Torres. “They are also representative of the region’s ethnicity.”
“In the Atlantic basin,” he added, “the names are of English, Spanish, Portuguese and some French origin.”
Storm names are selected alphabetically, one for each letter of the alphabet, and until 2021, the remaining names needed were selected using the Greek alphabet.
In the devastating 2020 hurricane season, nine letters of the Greek alphabet came into use, giving rise 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 next year.
These names are now selected from a supplementary list of names agreed upon by the WMO.
Data on damage already sustained in the US during the first five months of severe storms was published by NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information this Monday.
“There were 11 individual billion-dollar weather and climate events across the United States during the first five months of 2024,” according to administration officials, “each with losses exceeding $1 billion.”
“These disasters consisted of nine severe storms and two winter storms,” NOAA said.