The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season has only just begun, and we already have Alberto. The tropical storm formed in the Gulf of Mexico.
The next name on the list? Beryl.
The National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration revealed the official list of potential hurricane names, along with its predictions for the 2024 Atlantic season. Hurricane season began June 1 and will last through Nov. 30.
Here’s what to know about the list of names:
Storm names for 2024
If any of the 17 to 25 possible storms predicted for this season come to pass, their names have already been set. Below is the full list of possible storm names for the 2024 season:
• Alberto
• Beryl
• Chris
• Debby
• Ernesto
• Francine
• Gordon
• Helene
• Isaac
• Joyce
• Kirk
• Leslie
• Milton
• Nadine
• Oscar
• Patty
• Rafael
• Sara
• Tony
• Valarie
• William
How hurricane naming works
Rotation: Hurricane names are used in rotation and recycled every six years. Many of the names in 2024 will be used again in 2030.
Retirement: Sometimes named storms gain enough notoriety for the damage and death they cause that their names are permanently removed from the list. We’ll never see another Hurricane Andrew again, at least in name.
Threshold: Tropical storms get named when they display a rotating circulation pattern and wind speeds reach 39 mph. A tropical storm becomes a hurricane when wind speeds exceed 74 mph.
Protocol: The World Meteorological Organization maintains and updates the names of Atlantic tropical storms. Hurricane names picked use only 21 letters of the alphabet because there are few names that start with Q, U, X, Z and Y. Also, English, Spanish and French names are all used to reflect geographical coverage of Atlantic and Caribbean storms.
