Who names hurricanes and tropical storms?

Hurricanes’ names are selected by the World Meteorological Organization. There are six lists of hurricane names for Atlantic Ocean storms. Every six years, the list of names begins again! However, the names of especially destructive hurricanes are usually retired. See the “retired” tropical storm and hurricane names. read more

Tropical Storms are Named Alphabetically. The first tropical storm that attains a sustained wind speed of at least 39 miles per hour in a calendar year is given the name that begins with an"A" from that year's list. The second storm is given the name that begins with a"B." Naming progresses through the year with names assigned in alphabetical order. read more

For example, if a tropical cyclone formed on December 28th, it would take the name from the previous season's list of names. If a storm formed in February, it would be named from the subsequent season's list of names. read more

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, additional storms will take names from the Greek alphabet. read more