Re: How many hurricane names have been retired, & what are they?

April,

The names of Atlantic basin hurricanes that have caused an unusually large number of deaths, or that have caused extreme damage, are retired in order to prevent confusion between historically well-known storms and current ones. As of 1996, 46 hurricane names have been retired. Rather than list them all here, you can check them out by visiting the Frequently Asked Questions section of this Florida State University link. Many other interesting tropical cyclone questions are answered here as well.

Thanks for the question!

Carl Morgan
NWS Wilmington, NC