Related Items You can get the names of future storms through the year 2001. Learn why they name hurricanes. Go to Hurricane Introduction Go to Hurricane Center front page. Editor's Note: The information on this page was obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory.

The Retiring Of Hurricane Names Hurricanes that have a severe impact on lives or the economy are remembered by generations after the devastation they caused, and some go into weather history. Whenever a hurricane has had a major impact, any country affected by the storm can request that the name of the hurricane be "retired" by agreement of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Retiring a name actually means that it cannot be reused for at least 10 years, to facilitate historic references, legal actions, insurance claim activities, etc. and avoid public confusion with another storm of the same name. If that happens, a like gender name is selected in English, Spanish or French for Atlantic Storms. There is an exception ,to the "retirement rule," however. Before 1979, when the first permanent six-year storm name list began, some storm names were simply not used anymore. For example, in 1966, "Fern" was substituted for "Frieda," and no reason was cited. Below is a list of Atlantic Ocean "retired" names, the years the hurricanes occurred, and the areas they affected. There are, however, a great number of destructive storms that occurred before hurricanes were first named in 1950, that are not included on this list. Clicking on any hyperlinked name will take you to a Post story about the hurricane. Name Year Location(s) Affected Agnes 1972 Florida, Northeast U.S. Alicia 1983 North Texas Allen 1980 Antilles, Mexico, South Texas Andrew 1992 Bahamas, South Florida and Louisiana Anita 1977 Mexico Audrey 1957 Louisiana, North Texas Betsy 1965 Bahamas, Southeast Florida, Southeast Louisiana Beulah 1967 Antilles, Mexico, South Texas Bob 1991 North Carolina, Northeast U.S. Camille 1969 Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama Carla 1961 Texas Carmen 1974 Mexico Carol 1954 Northeast U.S. Celia 1970 South Texas Cleo 1964 Lesser Antilles, Haiti, Cuba, Southeast, Florida Connie 1955 North Carolina David 1979 Lesser Antilles, Hispanola, Florida and Eastern U.S. Diana 1990 Mexico Diane 1955 Mid-Atlantic U.S. & Northeast U.S. Donna 1960 Bahamas, Florida and Eastern U.S. Dora 1964 Northeast Florida Elena 1985 Mississippi, Alabama, Western Florida Eloise 1975 Antilles, Northwest Florida, Alabama Flora 1963 Haiti, Cuba Frederic 1979 Alabama and Mississippi Gilbert 1988 Lesser Antilles, Jamaica, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico Gloria 1985 North Carolina, Northeast U.S. Hattie 1961 Belize Guatemala Hazel 1954 Antilles, North and South Carolina Hilda 1964 Louisiana Hugo 1989 Antilles, South Carolina Ione 1955 North Carolina Inez 1966 Lesser Antilles, Hispanola, Cuba, Florida Keys, Mexico Janet 1955 Lesser Antilles, Belize, Mexico Joan 1988 Curacao, Venezuela, Colombia, Nicaragua (crossed into Pacific and became Miriam) Klaus 1990 Martinique Luis 1995 Antigua and Barbuda, Puerto Rico, St. Martin, Guadeloupe, Dominica Marilyn 1995 U.S. Virgin Islands Opal 1995 Northwest Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Guatemala, Mexico Roxanne 1995 Mexico Sources: Christopher W. Landsea, NOAA AOML/Hurricane Research Division; NOAA Technical Memorandum NWS NHC-31

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