The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season, beginning June 1, is forecast to be less active than a year ago with the number of named storms and hurricanes near historical averages. Each season, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) retires the names of the hurricanes or tropical storms that were particularly deadly or destructive. Requests from countries that were hit are taken into consideration.
The storms that are retired are the worst of the worst, and their names are not used again for sensitivity reasons, according to the National Hurricane Center. There are a few exceptions, including the use of a name associated with bad events or organizations or for storms that were important in research.
Sometimes names are expired for no reason, as was the case with several names from the original list: Edith, Gracie, Judith, and Kristy. Other names, including Hannah and Sophie, had their names changed to different spellings over time.
Below is a list of Atlantic Ocean retired names, the years the hurricanes occurred, and the areas they affected. Keep in mind that a large number of destructive storms occurred before naming began in 1950, and are not included on this list. Source Weather Underground
| Year | Name | Areas Affected |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Sandy | Jamaica, Cuba, Bahamas, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast U.S. |
| 2011 | Irene | Bahamas, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast U.S. |
| 2010 | Tomas | Barbados, St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Haiti, Turks and Caicos |
| 2010 | Igor | Newfoundland, Bermuda |
| 2008 | Paloma | Cayman Islands, Cuba |
| 2008 | Ike | Turks and Caicos, Cuba, Texas |
| 2008 | Gustav | Haiti, Jamaica, Caman Islands, Cuba, Louisiana |
| 2007 | Noel | Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Bahamas |
| 2007 | Felix | Nicaragua, Honduras |
| 2007 | Dean | Mexico, Jamaica |
| 2005 | Wilma | Cuba, Florida |
| 2005 | Stan | Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador |
| 2005 | Rita | Louisiana, Texas, Florida |
| 2005 | Katrina | Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida |
| 2005 | Dennis | Cuba, Florida |
| 2004 | Jeanne | Florida, Haiti |
| 2004 | Ivan | Grenada, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Alabama, Florida |
| 2004 | Frances | Florida |
| 2004 | Charley | Cuba, Florida |
| 2003 | Juan | Nova Scotia |
| 2003 | Isabel | North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland |
| 2003 | Fabian | Bermuda |
| 2002 | Lili | Cuba, Louisiana |
| 2002 | Isidore | Cuba, Mexico, Louisiana |
| 2001 | Michelle | Cuba, Bahamas |
| 2001 | Iris | Belize |
| 2001 | Allison | Texas |
| 2000 | Keith | Belize, Mexico |
| 1999 | Lenny | Virgin Islands, St. Maartin/St. Martin, Anguilla |
| 1999 | Floyd | North Carolina |
| 1998 | Mitch | Central America, Nicaragua, Honduras |
| 1998 | Georges | Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Cuba, Key West, Mississippi |
| 1996 | Hortense | Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic |
| 1996 | Fran | North Carolina |
| 1996 | Cesar | Nicaragua |
| 1995 | Roxanne | Mexico |
| 1995 | Opal | Florida |
| 1995 | Marilyn | Virgin Islands, Leeward Islands |
| 1995 | Luis | Leeward Islands |
| 1992 | Andrew | Bahamas, South Florida, Louisiana |
| 1991 | Bob | North Carolina, Northeast U.S. |
| 1990 | Klaus | Martinique |
| 1990 | Diana | Mexico |
| 1989 | Hugo | Antilles, South Carolina |
| 1988 | Joan | Curacao, Venezuela, Colombia, Nicaragua (Crossed into the Pacific) |
| 1988 | Gilbert | Lesser Antilles, Jamaica, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico |
| 1985 | Gloria | North Carolina, Northeast U.S. |
| 1985 | Elena | Mississippi, Alabama, Western Florida |
| 1983 | Alicia | Texas |
| 1980 | Allen | Antilles, Mexico, South Texas |
| 1979 | Frederic | Alabama and Mississippi |
| 1979 | David | Lesser Antilles, Hispaniola, Florida and Eastern U.S. |
| 1977 | Anita | Mexico |
| 1975 | Eloise | Antilles, Northwest Florida, Alabama |
| 1974 | Fifi | Honduras, Guatemala |
| 1974 | Carmen | Mexico, Louisiana |
| 1972 | Agnes | Florida, Northeast U.S. |
| 1970 | Celia | South Texas |
| 1969 | Camille | Mississipi |
| 1967 | Beulah | Antilles, Mexico, South Texas |
| 1966 | Inez | Lesser Antilles, Hispaniola, Cuba, Florida Keys, Mexico |
| 1965 | Betsy | Bahamas, Southeast Florida, Southeast Louisiana |
| 1964 | Dora | Northeast Florida |
| 1964 | Cleo | Lesser Antilles, Haiti, Cuba, Southeast Florida |
| 1964 | Hilda | Louisiana |
| 1963 | Flora | Haiti, Cuba |
| 1961 | Hattie | Belize, Guatemala |
| 1961 | Carla | Texas |
| 1960 | Donna | Bahamas, Florida Keys, and Eastern U.S. |
| 1957 | Audrey | Louisiana, Northeast Texas |
| 1955 | Janet | Lesser Antilles, Belize, Mexico |
| 1955 | Ione | North Carolina |
| 1955 | Diane | Mid-Atlantic U.S., Northeast U.S. |
| 1955 | Connie | North Carolina |
| 1954 | Hazel | Antilles, North and South Carolina |
| 1954 | Edna | Massachusetts |
| 1954 | Carol | Northeast U.S. |