2022 Hurricane Names List Released For Atlantic Season

MIAMI, FL — In preparation for the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season, the National Hurricane Center in Miami has released the list of names for upcoming tropical storms and hurricanes.

The hurricane center is urging residents living along the Gulf of Mexico and Eastern seaboard to begin preparing for the 2022 hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. The areas covered include the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.

Weather analysts at Colorado State University predict the coming season will be an active one that produces 19 named storms, nine hurricanes and four major hurricanes (reaching wind speeds of 111 mph and up).

"If the model goes as predicted, this would be our seventh above-normal hurricane season in a row," said research scientist Dr. Phil Klotzbach at CSU.

In 2020's record-setting hurricane season, Hurricane Zeta formally reached the end of the United Nation's backup list of Greek letters for the first time as the 27th named storm of the year, NBC reported.

Atlantic Storm Names

• Alex
• Bonnie
• Colin
• Danielle
• Earl
• Fiona
• Gaston
• Hermine
• Ian
• Julia
• Karl
• Lisa
• Martin
• Nicole
• Owen
• Paula
• Richard
• Shary
• Tobias
• Virginie
• Walter

Since 1953, Atlantic tropical storms were named from lists originated by the National Hurricane Center. The international committee of the World Meteorological Organization took over the duties of naming storms in 1977.

Hurricanes originally took only female names. Ahead of the 2000-01 season, however, the World Meteorological Organization decided to start using male names as well as female names for tropical cyclones developing in the southwest Indian Ocean.

Currently, the lists of hurricane names are used in rotation and recycled every six years. There are 21 names on the Atlantic hurricane list and 24 on the Pacific hurricane list.

The only time there is a change in the list is if a storm is so deadly or costly that the future use of its name for a different storm would be insensitive.

If that occurs, the WMO will discuss striking and replacing the name in question at its annual meeting.

The practice of retiring storm names was started in 1955 after major hurricanes Carol, Edna and Hazel struck the Northeastern United States.

The deadliest storm name to be retired was Hurricane Mitch, which killed more than 10,000 people in Central America in October 1998.

The costliest storm names to be retired are Katrina in August 2005 and Harvey in August 2017. Both struck the Gulf Coast, causing more than $125 billion in damage.

The most recent hurricane names to be retired are Dorian, Laura, Eta and Iota.

According to the World Meteorological Organization's strict protocol, if a storm forms during the offseason, it will take the next name on the list based on the current calendar year.

For example, if a tropical cyclone forms on Dec. 28, it would take the name from the previous season's list of names. If a storm formed in February, it would take the first name from the upcoming season's list of names.

If there are more than 21 named tropical cyclones in the Atlantic basin in a season, or more than 24 named tropical cyclones in the eastern North Pacific basin, any additional storms will take names from an alternate list of names approved by the WMO for each basin.

Alternate Names For Atlantic Hurricanes

• Adria
• Braylen
• Caridad
• Deshawn
• Emery
• Foster
• Gemma
• Heath
• Isla
• Jacobus
• Kenzie
• Lucio
• Makayla
• Nolan
• Orlanda
• Pax
• Ronin
• Sophie
• Tayshaun
• Viviana
• Will

See related story: Atlantic Hurricane Season 2022 Likely To Be Active: Forecast

Quick Hurricane Facts

• The National Weather Service defines a hurricane as a “tropical cyclone with maximum sustained winds of 74 mph or higher.”
• Hurricanes are rated according to intensity of sustained winds on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. The 1-5 scale estimates potential property damage.
• A Category 3 or higher is considered a major hurricane.
• A hurricane watch indicates the possibility that a region could experience hurricane conditions within 48 hours.
• A hurricane warning indicates that sustained winds of at least 74 mph are expected within 36 hours.