CYCLONIC FURY

Tropical cyclones in the Atlantic basin with maximum sustained winds of at least 39 mph (tropical storms and hurricanes) are assigned a name. Atlantic tropical cyclone names are assigned from one of six rotating lists, which repeat every six years. The lists alternate between a male name and a female name in alphabetical order, with names starting with the letters Q, U, X, Y and Z skipped. Unusually destructive or deadly storm names can be retired by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) the spring after the storm occurred. If the main naming list is exhausted, names will be chosen from an auxiliary list after the WMO determined the Greek Alphabet was too confusing to use in 2021.

A similar naming procedure is used in the eastern Pacific basin, with the exception of the addition of X, Y and Z names that rotate every other year. The Eastern Pacific also has a different auxiliary list than the Atlantic.