CLOSE Puerto Rico is facing a galloping mental health crisis. Besides working to restore electricity and basic needs to residents after Hurricane Maria’s destructive run here, state officials are also scrambling to meet the mental health of its residents. Carrie Cochran/USA TODAY Network, Rick Jervis/USA TODAY

Floodwaters from Hurricane Harvey surround homes in Port Arthur, Texas, on Aug. 31, 2017. Harvey is one of four hurricanes from 2017 to have its name retired. (Photo: Gerald Herbert, Associated Press)

Goodbye and good riddance. The names of last year's monster hurricanes — Harvey, Irma and Maria — will never be used again after they were officially "retired" Thursday.

The hurricanes killed hundreds of people, caused more than $200 billion in damage and brought misery and hardship to millions of Americans. The World Meteorological Organization also retired Nate, a hurricane that hit central America as a tropical storm, killing dozens, then hit the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Harvey, a Category 4 hurricane that hit Texas with winds of 132 mph, killed 68 people and dumped historic amounts of rain on Houston. With damage of $126 billion, it's the second-costliest hurricane in U.S. history, behind Katrina.

Irma lashed the Caribbean and the U.S., making seven separate landfalls as it tore across the islands and the Southeast U.S. A Category 5 storm at its height with winds of 178 mph, Irma killed more than 100 people and devastated the island of Barbuda and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Hurricane Maria, with winds of 172 mph at its height, ravaged the island of Dominica as a Category 5 on Sept. 19 and later devastated Puerto Rico as a high-end Category 4 hurricane, producing catastrophic damage to the U.S. territory.

WMO Hurricane Committee has retired Harvey, Irma, Maria and Nate from the list of rotating names because of the death and destruction they caused during the 2017 Atlantic season pic.twitter.com/MIbLJgSZuV — WMO | OMM (@WMO) April 12, 2018

The meteorological organization retired the four names from its rotating list used for hurricanes and tropical storms in light of the death and destruction the storms caused.

The organization reuses storm names every six years in lists for the Atlantic and eastern Pacific basins. The nation hardest hit by a storm can request its name be removed because the storm was so deadly or costly that future use of the name would be insensitive.

The removal also avoids confusion caused by a future storm having the same name. In 2005, five storm names, including Katrina, were retired — the most for a single season.

The list from 2017 will be used again in 2023. The organization will replace Harvey with Harold, Irma with Idalia and Maria with Margot. Nate will be replaced by Nigel.

This year's Atlantic hurricane season officially begins June 1 — with Alberto.

More: It's going to be another busy, above average hurricane season, meteorologists say

In all, 86 hurricane names have now been retired. When a storm name is retired from the Atlantic's list of names, member countries of the meteorological organization from that region select a new name. For Atlantic storms, the name can be French, Spanish or English, reflecting the languages of residents of countries that could be hit by a hurricane.

With the names #Harvey#Irma#Maria#Nate retired by the World Meteorological Organization, the letter "I" extends its lead for most storms retired by letter w/ 11. Storm names have been retired since 1954. pic.twitter.com/6G3fFhLeyB — Steve Bowen (@SteveBowenWx) April 12, 2018

In 1953, the U.S. began using female names for hurricanes and, by 1979, male and female names were used. The names alternate between male and female.

There are no Q, U, X, Y or Z names because of the lack of usable names that begin with those letters. If more than 21 storms form in one season, such as in 2005, the Greek alphabet is used to name the additional storms.

There are also separate lists for typhoons in the western Pacific and tropical cyclones in Australia and the Indian Ocean.

Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2qtifRA</s>Due to the extensive damage caused by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria, and Nate, the World Meteorological Organization's Region IV Hurricane Committee has officially retired these storm names.

Storm names are retired if they were so deadly or destructive that the future use of the name would be considered insensitive. Otherwise, storm names are recycled on a six-year cycle.

The names Harvey, Irma, Maria, and Nate have been replaced with Harold, Idalia, Margot, and Nigel. They will appear in the 2023 hurricane season.

Including these four names, there have been 86 names retired from the Atlantic basin list since 1953 when storms began to be named. The 2005 season has the most retired names (five) in one season.

Hurricane Harvey became a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale before making landfall along the middle Texas coast on Aug. 25. The storm then stalled, with its center remaining over or near the Texas coast for four days, dropping historic rainfall amounts, of up to five feet, causing catastrophic flooding in parts of southeastern Texas. Harvey is the second costliest hurricane in U.S. history (after inflation), behind only Katrina in 2005. At least 68 people died from the direct effects of the storm in Texas, the largest number in that state since 1919.

Hurricane Irma was a long-lived hurricane that reached category 5 intensity on Sept. 5. The catastrophic hurricane made seven landfalls, four of which occurred as a category 5 hurricane across the northern Caribbean Islands. Irma made landfall as a category 4 hurricane in the Florida Keys on Sept. 10 and struck southwestern Florida as a category 3 the same day. Irma caused 44 direct deaths as a result of its strong winds, heavy rain and high surf. In the U.S., seven direct deaths were reported, and an additional 85 indirect deaths occurred, 80 of which were in Florida. Hundreds more were injured preparing for the storm, during it or in its aftermath.

Hurricane Maria ravaged the island of Dominica as a category 5 on Sept. 19, and later devastated Puerto Rico as a high-end category 4 hurricane. It also inflicted serious damage on some of the other islands of the northeastern Caribbean Sea. Maria is the third costliest hurricane in U.S. history, behind Harvey and Katrina. Maria caused 31 direct deaths with 34 missing in Dominica, and two direct deaths in Guadeloupe. In Puerto Rico, the death toll stands at 65, which includes an unknown number of indirect deaths.

Hurricane Nate crossed northeastern Nicaragua and eastern Honduras as a tropical storm, then made landfall on the northern Gulf Coast as a category 1 hurricane. It brought rainfall that caused significant impacts in Central America, where media reports indicate that these caused 44 deaths in the region. An additional fatality in Panama was due to a “shipwreck,” bringing the death toll directly associated with Nate to 45. An additional nine people were missing in the region.</s>MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Harvey, Irma, Maria, and Nate are storm names that don’t bear repeating.

Due to the extensive damage these storms did in the U.S. and Caribbean last year, the World Meteorological Organization has decided to retire them as storm names.

Storm names are retired if they were so deadly or destructive that the future use of the name would be insensitive. Otherwise, names are reused on a six-year cycle.

Harold, Idalia, Margot, and Nigel have been chosen as the replacement names and they will used beginning in 2023 Atlantic hurricane season.

Including these four additions, there have been 86 names retired from the Atlantic basin list since 1954, when storms began to be named. The 2005 hurricane season has the most retired names, five for one season.

Hurricane Harvey was a Category 4 storm when it made landfall along the middle Texas coast on August 25th. The storm then stalled near the coast for four days, dropping historic rainfall amounts and causing catastrophic flooding. Harvey is the second costliest hurricane in U.S. history (after inflation), behind only Katrina in 2005. At least 68 people died from the direct effects of the storm.

Hurricane Irma reached Category 5 intensity on September 5th. It made seven landfalls, four of which occurred as a Category 5 hurricane across the northern Caribbean Islands. Irma made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in the Florida Keys on September 10the and struck southwestern Florida as a Category 3 the same day.

Irma’s strong winds, heavy rain, and high surf resulted in 44 direct deaths. In the U.S., seven direct deaths were reported, and an additional 85 indirect deaths occurred, 80 of which were in Florida.

Hurricane Maria ravaged the island of Dominica as a Category 5 on September 19th and later devastated Puerto Rico as a high-end Category 4 hurricane. It also inflicted serious damage on some of the other islands of the northeastern Caribbean Sea. Maria is the third costliest hurricane in U.S. history, behind Harvey and Katrina.

Maria caused 31 direct deaths with 34 missing in Dominica, and two direct deaths in Guadeloupe. In Puerto Rico, the death toll stands at 65, which includes an unknown number of indirect deaths.

Hurricane Nate crossed northeastern Nicaragua and eastern Honduras as a tropical storm, then made landfall on the northern Gulf Coast as a Category 1 hurricane. It brought rainfall that caused significant impacts in Central America and caused 44 deaths in the region. An additional fatality in Panama was due to a “shipwreck,” bringing the death toll directly associated with Nate to 45.</s>MIAMI (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — The names of four deadly hurricanes that slammed parts of the United States, Central America and the Caribbean last year are being retired.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced Thursday that hurricane names Harvey, Irma, Maria and Nate will be replaced with Harold, Idalia, Margot and Nigel. The new names will make their debut during the 2023 hurricane season.

The eye of Hurricane Harvey came ashore on August 25, 2017 near Rockport, Texas, about 35 miles northeast of Corpus Christi. The storm killed at least 68 people.

Eighty-six names have been retired from the Atlantic basin list since 1954. The names are retired if the storms were so severe that their future use would be insensitive.

Hurricane Irma caused 44 deaths and 85 indirect deaths in the Caribbean and Florida. Maria killed 31 in Dominica and 65 in Puerto Rico. Nate’s rainfall inundated Central America and killed 45.</s>The 2017 hurricane season was record-shattering, fueled by abnormally warm ocean water and a particularly conducive weather pattern over the Atlantic. It wasn’t just the most active – it was also the most expensive on record in U.S. history. Although final costs may not be known for years, estimates suggest the tab will run beyond $200 billion.

Four notable storms from the 2017 season had names that will no longer be used for hurricanes, according to the U.N. World Meteorological Organization: Harvey, Irma, Maria and Nate.

Since 1979, the WMO has been using a six-year name rotation. Within a given hurricane season, male and female names alternate, then the following year, the gender ordering is staggered (for example, Ana and Bill one year, Alex and Bonnie the next, etc).

Unless a name is retired, the exact same list of names is used again six years later. However, if a storm gains notoriety because of its strength, number of deaths or damage, the WMO may retire that name from future use. For example, Katrina, Sandy and Isabel are all names that have been retired from the list.

Harvey, Irma, Maria and Nate will join the list of exceptional hurricane names. They will be replaced by Harold, Idalia, Margot and Nigel.

Hurricane Harvey kicked off the season in late August. The Category-4 hurricane slammed into Texas with 100-mph winds, but its torrential rainfall, up to 60 inches, and flooding was far more destructive. About 33 trillion gallons of water fell out of Harvey, most of which landed in a swath from Houston to Southwest Louisiana. Some estimates place Harvey ahead of Hurricane Katrina in damages – about $180 billion.

Just weeks later after scouring the Caribbean, Hurricane Irma made landfall in Key West, Florida, and then Marco Island in September. It was the first major hurricane to make landfall in Florida since 2005.

Irma knocked out power to as many as 16 million people across the Southeast, according to recent estimates from utility companies. The vast majority of these outages occurred in Florida, which was noticeably darker on satellite imagery as Irma pulled away from the state.

Hurricane Irma did upward of $65 billion in damage, mainly in the Virgin Islands and the Southeast United States.

No storm in 2017 was as devastating as Hurricane Maria was to Puerto Rico. It claimed the lives of just over 100 people. More than three months after Maria hit, more than half of the island’s 3.3 million population still did not have power.

The official death toll remains artificially low according to an investigation by The New York Times, which found that the number of hurricane-related deaths probably exceeds 1,000. The governor of Puerto Rico ordered a recount of the death toll in mid-December.

Hurricane Nate rounds out the list, the ninth hurricane of the season. Nate developed in the Southern Caribbean and tracked north into the Gulf of Mexico. On Oct. 8, the hurricane made landfall as a Category 1. The storm did around $800 million in damage and killed 45 people in Central America and the United States.

The idea of permanently retiring names began after the 1954 hurricane season when Carol, Edna and Hazel ravaged the East Coast. Since that fateful year, 88 names have been retired, and those beginning with “I” make up the majority of them (11).

“I”-name storms tend to coincide near the average peak of the hurricane season. With ocean temperatures warm and hostile winds shear, conditions are prime for hurricane development. So it’s not surprising that these storms are the most-retired.

The Capital Weather Gang’s Brian McNoldy contributed to this story.</s>Harvey, Irma, Maria And Nate Are Finished As Hurricane Names

After one of the most destructive hurricane seasons ever, the names of four hurricanes are being retired. The World Meteorological Organization, the international body responsible for naming hurricanes, says it will no longer use Harvey, Irma, Maria and Nate to name hurricanes. The organization says it retires names for hurricanes when "a storm is so deadly or costly that the future use of its name on a different storm would be inappropriate for reasons of sensitivity."

The storms being retired this year include:
• Hurricane Harvey, which pounded Southeastern Texas for days with historic rainfall and catastrophic flooding, is the second costliest hurricane in U.S. history after Katrina. At least 68 people died from the storm in Texas.
• Hurricane Irma made 4 landfalls in the Caribbean as a Category 5 storm before affecting most of Florida. It caused 44 direct deaths as a result of wind, rain and heavy surf.
• Hurricane Maria was a category 5 storm when it hit the Caribbean island of Dominica. It weakened slightly to category 4 before devastating Puerto Rico and knocking out the island's power grid. Seven months later many on the island are still without power. It's the third costliest hurricane in U.S. history.
• Hurricane Nate was a tropical storm that strengthened to category 1 hurricane status. But its rainfall brought flooding and mudslides that caused 44 deaths in Central America.

With these four, the names of 86 hurricanes have been retired since 1953, the year the National Hurricane Center began developing lists of names for Atlantic tropical storms. The lists are now maintained and updated by an international committee with the WMO. The names selected as replacements for possible use in 2023 are: Harold, Idalia, Margot and Nigel.</s>Say goodbye to Harvey, Irma, Maria and Nate.

Those storms were retired by the World Meteorological Organization from its rotating six-year list.

The criteria and that a storm be "so deadly or destructive that the future use of the name would be insensitive," and those storms reached that level after the destruction they caused, in areas such as Houston, Puerto Rico, Dominica, the Florida Keys and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The names they are being replaced with are Harold, Idalia, Margot, and Nigel. Those names will be used for the first time in 2023, when the list used in 2017 comes back up in the rotation.

From the National Weather Service, here are summaries of the retired storms:

"Hurricane Harvey became a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale before making landfall along the middle Texas coast on Aug. 25. The storm then stalled, with its center remaining over or near the Texas coast for four days, dropping historic rainfall amounts, of up to five feet, causing catastrophic flooding in parts of southeastern Texas. Harvey is the second costliest hurricane in U.S. history (after inflation), behind only Katrina in 2005. At least 68 people died from the direct effects of the storm in Texas, the largest number in that state since 1919

Harvey was most notable for its destructive and record-setting long duration rainfall, when Houston was buried under almost 3 feet of rain."

"Hurricane Irma was a long-lived hurricane that reached category 5 intensity on Sept. 5. The catastrophic hurricane made seven landfalls, four of which occurred as a category 5 hurricane across the northern Caribbean Islands. Irma made landfall as a category 4 hurricane in the Florida Keys on Sept. 10 and struck southwestern Florida as a category 3 the same day. Irma caused 44 direct deaths as a result of its strong winds, heavy rain and high surf. In the U.S., seven direct deaths were reported, and an additional 85 indirect deaths occurred, 80 of which were in Florida. Hundreds more were injured preparing for the storm, during it or in its aftermath."

"Hurricane Maria ravaged the island of Dominica as a category 5 on Sept. 19, and later devastated Puerto Rico as a high-end category 4 hurricane. It also inflicted serious damage on some of the other islands of the northeastern Caribbean Sea. Maria is the third costliest hurricane in U.S. history, behind Harvey and Katrina. Maria caused 31 direct deaths with 34 missing in Dominica, and two direct deaths in Guadeloupe. In Puerto Rico, the death toll stands at 65, which includes an unknown number of indirect deaths."

"Hurricane Nate crossed northeastern Nicaragua and eastern Honduras as a tropical storm, then made landfall on the northern Gulf Coast as a category 1 hurricane. It brought rainfall that caused significant impacts in Central America, where media reports indicate that these caused 44 deaths in the region. An additional fatality in Panama was due to a “shipwreck,” bringing the death toll directly associated with Nate to 45. An additional nine people were missing in the region."

Report an Error or Submit a Tip to NBC12</s>WASHINGTON – Harvey, Irma, Maria and Nate have been retired as hurricane names, marking a dubious honor for the 2017 storms that were among the worst ever to lash the Caribbean and United States, the U.S. oceanic agency said on Thursday.

The World Meteorological Organization’s Atlantic regional agency pulled the names from its six-year cycle of approved storm monikers since using them again would be insensitive, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said.

The names will be replaced by Harold, Idalia, Margot and Nigel, which will first appear in the 2023 approved list of storm names, the agency said in a statement.

With the four new retirees, there have been 86 names pulled from the Atlantic list since 1953, when storms began to be named. The 2005 hurricane season has the most retired names – five – for one season.

Harvey, Irma, Maria and Nate were directly responsible for the deaths of at least 255 people and caused billions of dollars in damage, NOAA said.

Harvey, which dumped up to five feet of rain on southeast Texas, and Maria, which ravaged Puerto Rico and Dominica, are the second- and third-costliest storms in U.S. history, NOAA said. They trail only Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans in 2005.</s>You won't be seeing Harvey, Irma, Maria or Nate as names for hurricanes or tropical storms anytime soon.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the four names have officially been retired due to the "extensive damage" they caused to the United States and Caribbean in 2017.

The NOAA states that names of storms are retired when they're "so deadly or destructive that the future use of the name would be insensitive."

Officials will replace the retired names with Harold, Idalia, Margot, and Nigel in the list of storm names used in 2023.

Hurricane Harvey ravaged southeastern Texas and along the Gulf Coast in August. The storm caused "catastrophic flooding" and killed at least 68 people, the NOAA reported.

Hurricane Irma made landfall in Florida in September as a Category 4 storm. Officials said at least 44 people died from the direct effects of Irma as a result of its "strong winds, heavy rain and high surf."

Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico in late September as a Category 4 storm packing winds of 155 mph. Maria was the strongest storm to strike the island since the 1930s.

According to CBS, Hurricane Maria's destruction set Puerto Rico back decades and nearly destroyed the island. The island was in the dark for several weeks and some residents were without power for months.

The NOAA reports that Hurricane Nate made landfall in the Gulf Coast as a category 1.</s>JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Hurricane Irma will never impact Jacksonville again. A confident statement since the storm name has been retired forever.

Also Harvey, Maria and Nate will no longer be used to name hurricanes because of their deadly impacts throughout the Atlantic basin.

Names are reused on a six-year cycle until a name is retired if it turns deadly or costly.

This year Sara will replace the Hurricane Sandy which caused $70 billion in damage in 2012..

In 2023, Harold, Idalia, Margot, and Nigel will be the first storm names to appear replacing ones from last season.

The four names retired in 2017 ties 1995 and 1955 as the second greatest retirement year on record.

The deadly 2005 season was the highest year on record with five retired names. In total, 86 names have been retired since 1954.

Since 1953, Atlantic tropical storms had been named from lists originated by the National Hurricane Center. They are now maintained and updated through a strict procedure by an international committee of the World Meteorological Organization.
Harvey, Irma, Maria, and Nate join the list of retired Atlantic hurricane names.