2023 Atlantic Hurricane Season Names

By Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer 

April 13, 2023 – As the June 1 start of the Atlantic Hurricane season nears, the names that will be used for the storms this season are making the rounds.  The names are agreed upon by the World Meteorological Organization.

Six lists of names are used in rotation every six years, and the lists which have been in use for the last 60 years are only altered when a name is removed.  Hurricane names are removed or retired when the storm associated with them is so destructive that it would be inappropriate to reuse and is done away with out of sensitivity.

Retired from the 2022 roster are Fiona and Ian, hurricanes which wrought extreme destruction across Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean including the Turks and Caicos Islands, though the country was spared any major damage.  That roster of names beginning with Alex and Bonnie  and Ending with Virginie and Walter, will be reused in 2028 (sans Fiona and Ian of course).

For 2023, the names are Arlene; Bret; Cindy; Don; Emily; Franklin; Gert; Harold; Idalia; Jose; Katia; Lee; Margot; Nigel; Ophelia; Philippe; Rina; Sean; Tammy; Vince; and Whitney.

This roster of names was last used in 2017, and due to the incredible damage and loss of lives they caused, Harvey, Irma, Maria, and Nate were retired from the list.  The storms decimated parts of the Caribbean including the Turks and Caicos and Costa Rica and was blamed for the deaths of more than 3,000 people.

AccuWeather has forecast, the 2023 season to be average in terms of storm frequency but residents are still urged to prepare.