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Subject: B3) What names have been retired in the Atlantic and East Pacific basin?

(Kindly provided by Gary Padgett, Jack Beven, and James Lewis Free).

In the Atlantic basin, tropical cyclone names are "retired" (that is, not to be used again for a new storm) if it is deemed to be quite noteworthy because of the damage and/or deaths it caused. This is to prevent confusion with a historically well-known cyclone with a current one in the Atlantic basin. The following list gives the names that have been retired and the year of the storm in question.

Retired hurricane names
Atlantic
Audrey 1957, Agnes 1972, Anita 1977, Allen 1980, Alicia 1983, Andrew 1992, Allison 2001
Betsy 1965, Beulah 1967, Bob 1991
Connie 1955 ,Carla 1961, Cleo 1964, Carol 1965, Camille 1969, Celia 1970, Carmen 1974, Cesar 1996
Diane 1955, Donna 1960, Dora 1964, David 1979, Diana 1990
Edna 1968, Eloise 1975, Elena 1985
Flora 1963, Fifi 1974, Frederic 1979, Fran 1996, Floyd 1999, Fabian 2003
Gracie 1959, Gloria 1985, Gilbert 1988, Georges 1998
Hazel 1954, Hattie 1961, Hilda 1964, Hugo 1989,Hortense 1996
Ione 1955, Inez 1966, Iris 2001, Isidore 2002, Isabel 2003
Janet 1955, Joan 1988, Juan 2003
Klaus 1990, Keith 2000
Luis 1995, Lenny 1999, Lili 2002
Marilyn 1995, Mitch 1998, Michelle 2001
Opal 1995
Roxanne 1995
Name retired because of previous storm with the same name.


Although rarer, some East Pacific names have been retired from the list. The climatology of this basin has most hurricanes moving away from the shore, so chances are rare that these storms would adversely affect people necessitating the name be retired.

Retired hurricane names
East Pacific
Adolph 2001
Kenna 2002
Israel 2001
Name retired because of political considerations

Last updated August 13, 2004

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