x
Breaking News
More () »

Tracking Florence: What's in a (hurricane) name?

Hurricane names are decided by the United Nations World Meteorological Organization
A view of Hurricane Florence from the International Space Station. (Photo: Alexander Gerst, ESA/NASA)

Right now, the Atlantic Ocean is very active, with Florence, Helene, Isaac and now Joyce in the midst.

But how are these names established? And how do they retire?

The Atlantic and Pacific oceans both have a separate list of names established by the United Nations World Meteorological Organization.

There are six different lists that rotate and new names are added when others are retired.

But there are some names you won't see anymore.

From Erika in 2015 to Matthew in 2016, names are retired when the storms cause catastrophic damage.

In 2017, we had Irma, Harvey, and Maria. You will no longer see those names in the future, as they are among the top five costliest hurricanes in history.

Follow 13News Now on Facebook and Twitter

► Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13News Now App.

Before You Leave, Check This Out