The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) oversees the naming of tropical storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic basin.
Each year’s list contains 21 names, beginning in alphabetical order and alternating between male and female names.
These lists are repeated every six years unless a storm is so destructive or deadly that its name is permanently retired.
That’s why there will never be another Hurricane Melissa. In 2025, Melissa caused catastrophic damage and more than 90 deaths in Jamaica, Haiti and other Caribbean nations. Making landfall as a Category 5, Melissa was the strongest as well as costliest hurricane on record to strike Jamaica. The WMO has selected Molly as the replacement name.
If more than 21 named storms form in a single season, a supplemental list is used. Like the primary list, it excludes Q, U, X, Y and Z due to the limited number of names beginning with those letters.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 Nov.
2026 Atlantic storm names
- Arthur
- Bertha
- Cristobal
- Dolly
- Edouard
- Fay
- Gonzalo
- Hanna
- Isaias
- Josephine
- Kyle
- Leah
- Marco
- Nana
- Omar
- Paulette
- Rene
- Sally
- Teddy
- Vicky
- Wilfred
This article originally appeared in Compass Media’s 2026 Emergency Guide.
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