The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, which begins on Sunday, is likely to have an above-normal number of storms, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Forecasters predict a 60% chance there will be between 13 and 19 named storms, six to 10 of which are expected to be hurricanes. Three to five of those could be major hurricanes.
As Americans along the Gulf and East Coasts prepare for the possible storms, here’s a look at the names tropical storms or hurricanes will get this year.
List of 2025 hurricane names
- Andrea
- Barry
- Chantal
- Dexter
- Erin
- Fernand
- Gabrielle
- Humberto
- Imelda
- Jerry
- Karen
- Lorenzo
- Melissa
- Nestor
- Olga
- Pablo
- Rebekah
- Sebastien
- Tanya
- Van
- Wendy
The list is one of six that are rotated every year, meaning this list was last used in 2019 and will be used again in 2031. The names are set by the World Meteorological Organization, a United Nations agency.
A name is retired and replaced if it is used for a storm that is extremely deadly or costly, making it inappropriate to reuse for future storms.
If there are ever more than 21 named storms in a season, names would be used from an alternate list approved by the World Meteorological Organization.
List of 2024 hurricane names
During the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, there were 18 named tropical storms and hurricanes:
Why tropical storms and hurricanes are named
Naming storms helps meteorologists, media and public officials communicate easily about forecasts and warnings to help the public prepare, the World Meteorological Organization says.Â
“Assigning names to tropical cyclones makes tracking and discussing specific storms more straightforward, especially when multiple storms are active simultaneously,” the agency says on its website.
Storms have been named for a long time, but historically they were named “haphazardly and after the fact,” the World Meteorological Organization said.
It wasn’t until 1953 that the National Hurricane Center began using the alphabetical lists. At that time, they were only female names. Male names were added starting in 1979.
Which hurricane names are retired?
Nearly 100 names have been retired from the Atlantic hurricane name lists since 1954, according to NOAA.Â
Three names from the 2024 season were retired: Beryl, Helene and Milton.
Some other notable retired names include Ian (2022), Ida (2021), Harvey (2017), Irma (2017), Maria (2017), Sandy (2012) and Katrina (2005).
