CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) - As we watch Irma make its way through the Atlantic, some are wondering not only how hurricanes are named, but if their name will ever be used to label a storm.
The names are predetermined by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
In 1953 they started using an alphabetical list of names for each storm. In the beginning all the names were female. It wasn't until 1978 that storms used both male and female names.
Every year has a list of names A through W.
There are six such lists, meaning every seventh year a list is put back into use. The only change is if a storm is particularly damaging or deadly that name is retired.
In 2012 the WMO Hurricane Committee retired Irene and replaced it with Irma, which we are now seeing is a powerful storm over the Atlantic Ocean.
Other notable hurricane names that have been retired are Hugo (1989), Andrew (1992), Ivan (2004), Katrina (2005), Rita (2005), and Sandy (2012).
You can fully expect Harvey to be retired after its destruction in Texas.
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