Tropical cyclones and subtropical cyclones are named by various warning centers to simplify communication between forecasters and the general public regarding forecasts, watches and warnings. The names are intended to reduce confusion in the event of concurrent storms in the same basin. Once storms develop sustained wind speeds of more than , names are generally assigned to them from predetermined lists, depending on the basin in which they originate. Some tropical depressions are named in the Western Pacific, while tropical cyclones must contain a significant amount of gale-force winds before they are named in the Southern Hemisphere.

Before it became standard practice to give personal (first) names to tropical cyclones, they were named after places, objects, or the saints' feast days on which they occurred. Credit for the first usage of personal names for weather systems is generally given to Queensland Government meteorologist Clement Wragge, who named systems between 1887 and 1907. When Wragge retired, the practice fell into disuse for several years until it was revived in the latter part of World War II for the Western Pacific. Formal naming schemes and lists have subsequently been used for major storms in the Eastern, Central, Western and Southern Pacific basins, and the Australian region, Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean.

History

Tropical cyclone naming institutions Basin Institution Area of responsibility Latitudes LongitudesNorthern Hemisphere North Atlantic United States National Hurricane Center Equator northward 140°WEuropean and African Atlantic Coasts Eastern Pacific Central Pacific United States Central Pacific Hurricane Center Equator northward 180°140°W Western Pacific Japan Meteorological Agency Equator60°N 100°E180° PAGASA (unofficial) 5°N21°N 115°E135°E North Indian Ocean India Meteorological Department Equator northward 40°E100°E Southern Hemisphere South-WestIndian Ocean Mauritius Meteorological Services Equator40°S 55°E90°E Météo Madagascar Equator40°S African Coast55°E Météo-France Reunion Equator40°S African Coast90°E Australian region Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Equator10°S 90°E141°E Papua New Guinea National Weather Service Equator10°S 141°E160°E Australian Bureau of Meteorology 10°S40°S 90°E160°E Southern Pacific Fiji Meteorological Service Equator25°S 160°E120°W Meteorological Service of New Zealand 25°S40°S 160°E120°W South Atlantic Brazilian Navy Hydrographic Center (unofficial) Equator35°S Brazilian Coast20°W

Before the formal start of naming, tropical cyclones were often named after places, objects, or saints' feast days on which they occurred. The credit for the first usage of personal names for weather systems is generally given to the Queensland Government meteorologist Clement Wragge, who named systems between 1887 and 1907. This system of naming weather systems subsequently fell into disuse for several years after Wragge retired until it was revived in the latter part of World War II for the Western Pacific. Formal naming schemes have subsequently been introduced for the North Atlantic, Eastern, Central, Western and Southern Pacific basins as well as the Australian region and Indian Ocean.

, tropical cyclones are officially named by one of eleven warning centers and retain their names throughout their lifetimes to facilitate the effective communication of forecasts and storm-related hazards to the general public. This is especially important when multiple storms are occurring simultaneously in the same ocean basin. Names are generally assigned in order from predetermined lists, once they produce one, three, or ten-minute sustained wind speeds of more than . However, standards vary from basin to basin, with some systems named in the Western Pacific when they develop into tropical depressions or enter PAGASA's area of responsibility. Within the Southern Hemisphere, systems must be characterized by a significant amount of gale-force winds occurring around the center before they are named.

Any member of the World Meteorological Organization's hurricane, typhoon and tropical cyclone committees can request that the name of a tropical cyclone be retired or withdrawn from the various tropical cyclone naming lists. A name is retired or withdrawn if a consensus or majority of members agree that the system has acquired a special notoriety, such as causing a large number of deaths and amounts of damage, impact, or for other special reasons. A replacement name is then submitted to the committee concerned and voted upon, but these names can be rejected and replaced with another name for various reasons: these reasons include the spelling and pronunciation of the name, the similarity to the name of a recent tropical cyclone or on another list of names, and the length of the name for modern communication channels such as social media. PAGASA also retires the names of significant tropical cyclones when they have caused at least () in damage or have caused at least 300 deaths.

North Atlantic Ocean

Within the North Atlantic Basin, tropical or subtropical storms are named by the United States National Hurricane Center (NHC/RSMC Miami), when they are judged to have 1-minute sustained winds of at least . The name selected comes from one of six rotating alphabetic lists of twenty-one names, that are maintained by the World Meteorological Organization's (WMO) RA IV Hurricane Committee. These lists skip the letters Q, U, X, Y and Z, rotate from year to year and alternate between male and female names. Should all of the names for a given year be used up, then any additional storms would be named using names from a supplemental list. The names of significant tropical cyclones are retired from the lists, with a replacement name selected at the next meeting of the Hurricane Committee.

+ List of Atlantic tropical cyclone names2026 (List 6)Names Arthur Bertha Cristobal Dolly Edouard Fay Gonzalo Hanna Isaias Josephine Kyle Leah Marco Nana Omar Paulette Rene Sally Teddy Vicky Wilfred 2027 (List 1)Names Ana Bill Claudette Danny Elsa Fred Grace Henri Imani Julian Kate Larry Mindy Nicholas Odette Peter Rose Sam Teresa Victor Wanda 2028 (List 2)Names Alex Bonnie Colin Danielle Earl Farrah Gaston Hermine Idris Julia Karl Lisa Martin Nicole Owen Paula Richard Shary Tobias Virginie Walter 2029 (List 3)Names Arlene Bret Cindy Don Emily Franklin Gert Harold Idalia Jose Katia Lee Margot Nigel Ophelia Philippe Rina Sean Tammy Vince Whitney 2030 (List 4)Names Alberto Brianna Chris Debby Ernesto Francine Gordon Holly Isaac Joyce Kirk Leslie Miguel Nadine Oscar Patty Rafael Sara Tony Valerie William 2031 (List 5)Names Andrea Barry Chantal Dexter Erin Fernand Gabrielle Humberto Imelda Jerry Karen Lorenzo Molly Nestor Olga Pablo Rebekah Sebastien Tanya Van Wendy Supplemental listNames Adria Braylen Caridad Deshawn Emery Foster Gemma Heath Isla Jacobus Kenzie Lucio Makayla Nolan Orlanda Pax Ronin Sophie Tayshaun Viviana Will

Eastern and Central Pacific Ocean

Within the Eastern Pacific Ocean, there are two warning centers that assign names to tropical cyclones on behalf of the World Meteorological Organization when they are judged to have intensified into a tropical storm with winds of at least . Tropical cyclones that intensify into tropical storms between the coast of Americas and 140°W are named by the National Hurricane Center (NHC/RSMC Miami), while tropical cyclones intensifying into tropical storms between 140°W and 180° are named by the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC/RSMC Honolulu). Significant tropical cyclones have their names retired from the lists and a replacement name selected at the next World Meteorological Organization Hurricane Committee.

Eastern North Pacific (east of 140°W) When a tropical depression intensifies into a tropical storm to the north of the Equator between the coastline of the Americas and 140°W, it will be named by the NHC. There are six lists of names which rotate every six years and begin with the letters A—Z used, skipping Q and U, with each name alternating between a male or a female name. The names of significant tropical cyclones are retired from the lists, with a replacement name selected at the next meeting of the Hurricane Committee. If all of the names on the annual name list are used, any additional tropical or subtropical storms will receive a name from a supplemental list.

+ List of Eastern Pacific tropical cyclone names2026 (List 6)Names Amanda Boris Cristina Douglas Elida Fausto Genevieve Hernan Iselle Julio Karina Lowell Marie Norbert Odalys Polo Rachel Simon Trudy Vance Winnie Xavier Yolanda Zeke2027 (List 1)Names Andres Blanca Carlos Dolores Enrique Felicia Guillermo Hilda Ignacio Jimena Kevin Linda Marty Nora Olaf Pamela Rick Sandra Terry Vivian Waldo Xina York Zelda2028 (List 2)Names Agatha Blas Celia Darby Estelle Frank Georgette Howard Ivette Javier Kay Lester Madeline Newton Orlene Paine Roslyn Seymour Tina Virgil Winifred Xavier Yolanda Zeke2029 (List 3)Names Adrian Beatriz Calvin Debora Eugene Fernanda Greg Hilary Irwin Jova Kenneth Lidia Max Norma Otilio Pilar Ramon Selma Todd Veronica Wiley Xina York Zelda2030 (List 4)Names Aletta Bud Carlotta Daniel Emilia Fabio Gilma Hector Ileana Jake Kristy Lane Miriam Norman Olivia Paul Rosa Sergio Tara Vicente Willa Xavier Yolanda Zeke2031 (List 5)Names Alvin Barbara Cosme Dalila Erick Flossie Gil Henriette Ivo Juliette Kiko Lorena Mario Narda Octave Priscilla Raymond Sonia Tico Velma Wallis Xina York ZeldaSupplemental listNames Aidan Bruna Carmelo Daniella Esteban Flor Gerardo Hedda Izzy Jacinta Kenito Luna Marina Nancy Ovidio Pia Rey Skylar Teo Violeta Wilfredo Xinia Yariel Zoe

Central North Pacific Ocean (140°W to 180°)

When a tropical depression intensifies into a tropical storm to the north of the Equator between 140°W and 180°, it is named by the CPHC. Four lists of Hawaiian names are maintained by the World Meteorological Organization's hurricane committee, rotating without regard to year, with the first name for a new year being the next name in sequence that was not used the previous year. The names of significant tropical cyclones are retired from the lists, with a replacement name selected at the next Hurricane Committee meeting.

+ List of Central Pacific tropical cyclone names List Names 1 Akoni Ema Hone Iona Keli Lala Moke Nolo Olana Pena Ulana Wale 2 Aka Ekeka Hene Iolana Keoni Lino Mele Nona Oliwa Pama Upana Wene 3 Alika Ele Huko Iopa Kika Lana Maka Neki Omeka Pewa Unala Wali 4 Ana Ela Halola Iune Kilo Loke Malia Niala Oho Pali Ulika WalakaReferences:

Western Pacific Ocean (180° – 100°E)

Tropical cyclones that occur within the Northern Hemisphere between the anti-meridian and 100°E are officially named by the Japan Meteorological Agency when they become tropical storms. However, PAGASA also names tropical cyclones that occur or develop into tropical depressions within their self-defined area of responsibility between 5°N–25°N and 115°E–135°E. This often results in tropical cyclones in the region having two names.

International names

Tropical cyclones within the Western Pacific are assigned international names by the Japan Meteorological Agency when they become tropical storms with 10-minute sustained winds of at least . The names are used sequentially without regard to year and are taken from five lists of names that were prepared by the ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee, after each of the 14 members submitted 10 names in 1998. The order of the names to be used was determined by placing the English name of the members in alphabetical order. Members of the committee are allowed to request the retirement or replacement of a system's name if it causes extensive destruction or for other reasons such as number of deaths.