World Meteorological Organization retires 4 hurricane names from 2017 season

MIAMI (WWAY) — After they wreaked havoc on the United States and Caribbean in 2017, the World Meteorological Organization has retired four hurricane names: Harvey, Irma, Maria and Nate.

The organization retires storm names if they were “so deadly or destructive that the future use of the name would be insensitive,” a release said. Names that aren’t retired are used on a six-year cycle.

Harold, Idalia, Margot and Nigel will replace the retired names beginning in 2023.

The release said that 86 names have been retired from the Atlantic since 1953. It also noted that the 2005 hurricane season’s five retired names was the most.

Harvey was a Category 4 storm that made landfall in Texas. It stalled there, causing record flooding in the southeastern parts of the state.

“Harvey is the second costliest hurricane in U.S. history (after inflation), behind only Katrina in 2005,” the release noted.

(Photo: World Meteorological Organization

Irma reached Category 5 status, and made seven landfalls over its tenure. Four of those landfalls took place in the Caribbean as a Category 5. It hit the Florida Keys as a Category 4, and then southwestern Florida as a Category 3. It caused 44 direct deaths, and another 85 indirect causalities, according to the release.

Maria caused havoc on the island of Dominica, where it hit as a Category 5. It later made its way to Puerto Rico. It comes in at the third-costliest hurricane, behind Harvey and Katrina.

Nate went across northeastern Nicaragua and eastern Honduras as a tropical storm before picking up steam and hitting the northern Gulf Coast as a Category 1. It caused 45 direct deaths, per the release.