Photo by Al Batt
A hurricane is a tropical cyclone with winds of 74 mph or greater.
The word hurricane is derived from the Mayan word Huracan, and the Taino and Carib word Hunraken, god of evil. Early tracking relied on geographic references and Catholic saint days before an Australian meteorologist pioneered personal names in the late 1800s, using the names of local politicians he disliked.
Hurricane names are managed by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). For the current 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, the active storm names are: A-F: Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal, Dolly, Edouard and Fay. G-L: Gonzalo, Hanna, Isaias, Josephine, Kyle and Leah. M-R: Marco, Nana, Omar, Paulette and Rene. S-W: Sally, Teddy, Vicky and Wilfred.
If a storm had been exceptionally deadly or destructive, the WMO retires its name. Since 1954, 100 Atlantic storm names have been permanently retired. Here are some of the retired Atlantic hurricane names, categorized alphabetically: A-C: Agnes (1972), Alicia (1983), Allison (2001), Andrew (1992), Beryl (2024), Camille (1969) and Charley (2004). D-F: Dennis (2005), Dorian (2019), Edna (1954), Erika (2015), Fiona (2022), Florence (2018), Floyd (1999) and Frances (2004). G-I: Harvey (2017), Hazel (1954), Helene (2024), Hugo (1989), Ian (2022), Ida (2021), Irene (2011) and Ivan (2004). K-M: Katrina (2005), Laura (2020), Maria (2017), Matthew (2016), Melissa (2025), Michael (2018), Milton (2024) and Mitch (1998). O-W: Opal (1995), Rita (2005), Sandy (2012) and Wilma (2005).
I have harebrained suggestions.
A-Alamo. People should remember it.
B-Beyonce. She’s an icon.
C-Charles. I know Charley has been used, but this one is a king.
D-Dwayne. After Dwayne Johnson. The storm could be nicknamed The Rock.
E-Etta. I love the songs of Etta James. Her earthy voice is well-suited for a cyclone. Elvis, as a backup, because he was the king before Charles.
F-F, for F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author of “The Great Gatsby.”
G-George. George Washington was the father of this country’s hurricanes.
H-Henry. Henry VIII was the last Henry to be king. Harry as a backup. A storm named for Harry Houdini might disappear.
I-Isaac. Isaac Newton. In case a storm requires more gravity.
J-Jack. Jack Nicholson would make a good hurricane.
K-Keith. Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones. The storm’s winds would sound like the guitar riffs in “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction.”
L-Louis. Louis XVI, king of France, whose wife Marie Antoinette probably didn’t say, “Let them eat cake” when she learned the peasants had no bread, but she might have thought it. It might spur disaster assistance in the form of pastries from the federal government after a hurricane.
M-Michelangelo. Michelangelo was a painter, sculptor, architect and poet, but his dream was to be a hurricane.
N-Nellie. In 1889, Nellie Bly tried to beat the fictional journey of Jules Verne’s Phileas Fogg in “Around the World in Eighty Days,” which she did in 72 days.
O-Odysseus, for a storm that takes 10 years to arrive.
P-Popeye. Perfect name for a strong storm that hits the spinach hard.
Q-Queen. Queen Elizabeth or the British rock group Queen, who sang, “Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality. Open your eyes, look up to the skies and see,” in “Bohemian Rhapsody.” That sounds like something a hurricane might say.
R-Ringo. I’m drumming up support for the name because of Ringo Starr.
S-Sacagawea. Sacagawea was a Shoshone woman who played a crucial role in the Lewis and Clark Expedition. It’d be enjoyable hearing TV weather folks pronounce her name.
T-Taylor. Taylor Swift is everywhere else.
U-Uri. Uri Geller claimed his psychic abilities could bend spoons. A hurricane could do that.
V-Vince. The Super Bowl Trophy is named the Vince Lombardi Trophy after this coach.
W-If the storm never shows up, name it Waldo.
X-Xavier. The bandleader Xavier Cugat was married to a hurricane named Charo.
Y-Yogi. Yogi Berra. Hurricane Yogi has a ring to it. The tempest would spout weatherly wisdom such as “If the world were perfect, it wouldn’t be.”
Z-Zenobia. Zenobia was a third-century queen of the Palmyrene Empire in Syria. This will be on the final test.
It’s possible some of these swell names have been used before. No problem. If that’s the case, just place “the Younger” after the name.
I hope Minnesota has another hurricane-free year.
Please keep your fingers crossed.
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