Much like in the Atlantic, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) names tropical storms and hurricanes in the Eastern Pacific Ocean east of 140°W. The East Pacific hurricane season officially begins tomorrow, and the NHC will begin issuing routine Tropical Weather Outlooks through November 30 starting tomorrow morning. The first East Pacific named storm – Adrian – has already formed; last week it became the earliest named storm on record to form in the East Pacific proper. However, Adrian quickly dissipated due to strong mid-level wind shear. Here are the names that will be used by the NHC to name East Pacific tropical cyclones in 2017:

• Adrian (already used)  
• Beatriz
• Calvin
• Dora
• Eugene
• Fernanda
• Greg
• Hilary
• Irwin
• Jova
• Kenneth
• Lidia
• Max
• Norma
• Otis
• Pilar
• Ramon
• Selma
• Todd
• Veronica
• Wiley
• Xina
• York
• Zelda

If all names are exhausted, it is likely that the NHC will use the Greek Alphabet like it did in the hyperactive 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. If a storm is unusually deadly or destructive, its name may be retired the following spring by the World Meteorological Organization. The central Pacific basin (from 140°W to 180°E) actually has its own names – and I’ll post these names at a later date.