TheAtlantic hurricane season officially begins on June 1, 2026, but meteorologists already have the list of names they will use to identify this season'stropical storms and hurricanes.
Could there be a Tropical Storm Dolly in our future? How about Hurricane Hanna?
Both are among the storm names you could hear as thesix-month-long Atlantic hurricane season begins.
Although most seasonal hurricane forecasts have yet to be released, it's likely that many will call for a near- to below-average season. This is due in part to the influence of an expectedEl Niño, a natural climate pattern that tends to reduce Atlantic hurricane activity.
Hurricane season outlook:Early hurricane season forecast sees 'very concerning trend'
A typical year averages about 14 tropical storms, seven of which spin into hurricanes, based on weather records that date from 1991 to 2020.
Atropical storm gets a name when its sustained winds reach 39 mph; it becomes a hurricane when its winds reach 74 mph.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), located in Switzerland, chooses hurricane names several years in advance based on strict criteria. If a hurricane is particularly deadly or costly, its name is "retired" by the WMO and replaced by another one.
List of 2026 Atlantic hurricane season storm names
Arthur
Bertha
Cristobal
Dolly
Edouard
Fay
Gonzalo
Hanna
Isaias
Josephine
Kyle
Leah
Marco
Nana
Omar
Paulette
Rene
Sally
Teddy
Vicky
Wilfred
Here's how to pronounce all of the 2026 hurricane names.
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Why – and how – do hurricanes get names?
Before they started naming storms, hurricane forecasters had to refer to storms by saying something like "the storm 500 miles east-southeast of Miami." But the storm's position quickly changed.
Also, when more than one storm was going on at the same time, making it clear which storm was being described made the job even harder.
In 1953, the U.S. began using female names for hurricanes. By 1979, male and female names were being used. The names alternate between male and female.
The names are in alphabetical order, and each new storm gets the next name on the list.
There are no Q, U, X, Y or Z names because of the lack of usable names that begin with those letters.
More:Early hurricane season forecast sees 'very concerning trend'
Eastern Pacific hurricane names
There is a separate list for tropical storms and hurricanes that form in the eastern Pacific Ocean:
Amanda
Boris
Cristina
Douglas
Elida
Fausto
Genevieve
Hernan
Iselle
Julio
Karina
Lowell
Marie
Norbert
Odalys
Polo
Rachel
Simon
Trudy
Vance
Winnie
Xavier
Yolanda
Zeke
Eastern Pacific hurricanes seldom have any direct impact on the U.S., though they can batter the west coast of Mexico. The eastern Pacific season begins on May 15, more than two weeks earlier than the Atlantic season.
There is a separate list of names forCentral Pacific hurricanes, which can occasionally hit Hawaii. In addition, there are separate lists for typhoons in the western Pacific and tropical cyclones in Australia and the Indian Ocean.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Full list of 2026 Atlantic hurricane season storm names
