2025 Atlantic hurricane season: How hurricane names are chosen and retired

The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season begins on June 1.

In the 1950s, weather officials started giving storms short, distinctive names to avoid confusion and streamline communications, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The National Hurricane Center does not decide the names of tropical storms. The list is based on a strict procedure established by the World Meteorological Organization.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has a list of rotating names for both Atlantic and Eastern Pacific storms. There are six lists, so lists repeat only every six years unless a name is “retired.” (More on that below.)

Here is the list of names for the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season:

Andrea
Barry
Chantal
Dexter
Erin
Fernand
Gabrielle
Humberto
Imelda
Jerry
Karen
Lorenzo
Melissa
Nestor
Olga
Pablo
Rebekah
Sebastien
Tanya
Van

In April 2025, the World Meteorological Organization retired four names it will never use again to describe a tropical storm: Beryl, Helene, Milton and John.

The WMO retires a storm name if the storm is deadly and destructive enough.

Previous: Above-normal, active 2025 hurricane season predicted by Colorado State University

Hurricane names history

Before hurricanes had names, they were referred to by their current latitude and longitude. However, this led to confusion and clerical errors. So the basic naming option was developed. This had huge advantages for communicating easily about storms between hundreds of weather stations, coastal bases and ships at sea.

The United States Navy developed the first formal system for naming storms in the late 1800s. At that time, storms were named after the ship’s commanding officer, his wife or another female relative. In 1950, the U.S. Weather Bureau began giving storms alphabetical names starting with “A.”

In 1953, the Weather Bureau began using female names for Atlantic storms and male names for Pacific storms. The practice of using only women’s names was discontinued in 1978 due to public outcry over the lack of male storm names. Today, both men’s and women’s names are used for all types of storms. Male and female names are rotated for both Pacific and Atlantic storms.

What happens if they run out of tropical cyclone and hurricane names?

Until 2021, if the list of names for the season was exhausted (like it was in 2021), a list of supplemental names using the Greek alphabet was ready to go. But, the World Meteorological Organization released a statement in 2021 saying that “the Greek alphabet will not be used in the future because it creates a distraction from the communication of hazard and storm warnings and is potentially confusing.”

There is now a current list of supplemental names that conform to the current naming conventions.

Recent hurricanes that have hit North Carolina and what names they had

In September 2024, Hurricane Helene caused catastrophic flooding and damage to western North Carolina. The state and federal government have allocated hundreds of millions of dollars in relief funds to help the area rebuild. At least 251 people died from Helene.

In September 2018, Hurricane Florence caused catastrophic flooding in the Carolinas. The storm dumped more than 30 inches of rain in some areas, and more than 1,000 people were rescued from floodwaters.

In October 2016, Hurricane Matthew caused significant damage in North Carolina. The storm killed at least 26 people in the state and left more than $4 billion in damage.

In August 2011, Hurricane Irene caused major flooding and widespread power outages across North Carolina. The storm killed at least 24 people in the state and left more than $2 billion in damage.

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Hurricane names history

Recent hurricanes that have hit North Carolina and what names they had