SUSSEX COUNTY, Del. -Â As the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season gets underway, many people may wonder how tropical storms and hurricanes receive their names and why some names never return.
The Atlantic hurricane season officially began June 1 and runs through Nov. 30. Forecasters are already monitoring conditions as another season starts in the Atlantic basin.
Hurricane names are selected from six rotating lists maintained by the World Meteorological Organization. The lists repeat every six years, meaning names used during the 2020 season are returning in 2026.
Separate naming lists are maintained for the Atlantic, eastern North Pacific and central Pacific hurricane basins.
Names can be permanently retired when a storm causes extensive damage or a large loss of life. Once retired, a name is replaced and will not be used again. The decision to retire a name is made by an international committee within the World Meteorological Organization.
The naming system is designed to make storm tracking and public communication easier for forecasters, emergency managers and the public.
If a hurricane season produces more named storms than the list contains, additional names are used. This occurred during the record-breaking 2005 and 2020 Atlantic hurricane seasons, when forecasters exhausted the annual name lists.
Some of the names on the 2026 Atlantic hurricane list include Arthur, Cristobal, Fay, Isaias, Josephine, Leah, Omar, Rene, Teddy and Wilfred.
