Tuesday, June 20, 2017

10 catastrophic Atlantic hurricane names you’ll never see again

By Ashley Williams, AccuWeather staff writer 
 
 Frances, Otto, Gustav and Charley each share a common trait: they are among 82 deadly and destructive Atlantic hurricanes whose names will never be re-used.
Since the official naming system began in 1954, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has rotated storm names every seventh year, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
The names of particularly lethal or costly storms, such as 1989’s Hurricane Hugo, are replaced by the WMO Tropical Cyclone Committees.
“There’s a factor there in which they’re afraid if they use the name again that it will spark old memories [among people who’ve experienced the storm],” said AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski.
Louisiana Flooding - Hurricane Katrina
In this Aug. 13, 2016, file aerial photo, a boat motors between flooded homes after heavy rains inundating the region, in Hammond, La. Hurricane Katrina exposed huge gaps in the disaster response plans of Louisiana and the nation. (Photo/Max Becherer/AP)

Three or more names were retired during certain years including 1995, 2004 and 2005, which suggested higher-than-normal activity, according to NHC Hurricane Specialist Eric Blake.
Those years tended to have very warm tropical Atlantic waters and low shear in the Caribbean Sea and tropical Atlantic,” said Blake.
Shear is the variation in wind speed or direction over a short distance within the atmosphere.
Below are 10 of the most catastrophic hurricanes, in terms of damage and/or loss of life, whose names have been retired.
Agnes (1972)
Agnes, one of the largest-ever hurricanes in June, still ranks among the 10 costliest hurricanes to impact the United States.
Hurricane Agnes - Harrisburg, PA
This June 23, 1972, file photo shows people being rescued by boat from their homes to dry ground after Hurricane Agnes forced the Susquehanna River to overflow its banks, causing heavy flooding in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Paul Vathis, File)

It drenched Northeastern states including Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey with up to 19 inches of rain.
The resulting severe flooding claimed most of the 122 lives taken by the $16 billion hurricane.
Andrew (1992)
The third-most intense U.S. hurricane on record killed 26 people, pummeling the Bahamas and South Florida as a Category 4 storm.
A 17-foot storm surge impacted Florida, while storm tides of 8 feet inundated parts of Louisiana’s coast, according to the NHC. Andrew resulted in $26.5 billion in damage.
Hurricane Andrew 1992
This water tower, shown Aug. 25, 1992, a landmark at Florida City, Fla., still stands over the ruins of the Florida coastal community that was hit by the force of Hurricane Andrew, which left about 50,000 homeless. (AP Photo/Ray Fairall)

Audrey (1957)
As the only June Category 4 storm ever recorded, Audrey produced tremendous devastation as it barreled into the border of Texas and Louisiana.
According to the NHC, Audrey’s storm surges reached heights of 12 feet, penetrating as far as 25 miles inland over Louisiana. More than 390 people were killed.
Camille (1969)
In August of 1969, Camille rapidly intensified from a Category 3 to a Category 5 by the time it pounded Mississippi’s coast with powerful 200-mph winds.
Strong winds, lethal storm surge, heavy rainfall and catastrophic flooding resulted in 256 deaths in the U.S.
Irene (2011)
Hurricane Irene 2011
This photo taken Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2011, shows a house that was destroyed by hurricane-turned-tropical-storm Irene, in Rochester, Vt. (AP Photo/John Curran)

Irene caused phenomenal flood and wind damage through the Caribbean, the eastern coast of the U.S. and parts of Canada in August of 2011. More than 17 inches of rain was recorded in some areas.
The storm left more than 3 million people without power, damaged homes, downed trees and eroded beaches in its wake.
Before making landfall in North Carolina as a Category 1 storm, Irene spawned several tornadoes. Forty-five people died.
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Katrina (2005)
More than 1,800 people died during Katrina, the costliest and most destructive U.S. hurricane on record. Catastrophic damage totaled an estimated $75 billion in New Orleans and along Mississippi’s coast.
Storm surge caused flooding up to 28 feet along parts of Mississippi’s coast and several miles inland. It breached levees and inundated a large portion of New Orleans.
Matthew (2016)
Hurricane Matthew - Haiti Damage
In this Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2016, photo, shoes are scattered among the debris of a home destroyed by Hurricane Matthew, in Port-a-Piment, a district of Les Cayes, Haiti. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)

Hurricane Matthew reached Category 5 intensity at the lowest latitude ever recorded in the Atlantic Basin. It first made landfall as a major Category 4 hurricane along the coasts of southwestern Haiti, eastern Cuba and western Grand Bahama Island.
It was the first October hurricane since 1954’s Hazel to make landfall in the U.S. north of Florida.
It struck along South Carolina’s central coast as a weakened Category 1 storm. Heavy rainfall totals reached more than 17 inches in Savannah, Georgia. Matthew inflicted more than $10 billion in damage and killed 585 people.
Rita (2005)
The deadly Hurricane Rita was the third Category 5 storm of 2005. It ravaged parts of southeastern Texas and southwestern Louisiana with devastating storm surge flooding and wind damage. The Florida Keys were also impacted.
Rita drenched Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas with up to 15 inches of rain and spawned about 90 tornadoes. It caused $10 billion in damage and seven deaths.
Sandy (2012)
Superstorm Sandy
In this Nov. 15, 2012, file photo, Dean Rasinya poses with a street sign for Irving Walk salvaged from wreckage in Queens, New York. A fire destroyed more than 100 homes in the area during Superstorm Sandy. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

The 2012 Atlantic hurricane season’s 18th named storm caused substantial damage upon landfall along New Jersey’s coast on Oct. 29.
Despite its weakened tropical-storm status, Sandy’s massive storm surge caused record tide levels and created $50 billion in damage in the U.S., including parts of New Jersey, Connecticut and eastern New York.
At least 147 people died.
Wilma (2005)
Wilma, one of the Atlantic Basin’s strongest-ever hurricanes, made initial landfall with Category 4 strength over Cozumel, Mexico, in October of 2005.
After weakening in the Gulf of Mexico to a Category 2, it later intensified and accelerated toward southern Florida, where it spawned 10 tornadoes.
Wilma’s widespread damage cost an $16.8 billion and killed 22 people, according to the NHC.
Danny Gilliam ·
We lived through Rita & had to clean up after it. Good riddance!
Rosemary Newman ·
Works at Retired
Isabel crashed a gigantic oak tree through my roof. I won't miss her.
Deborah Amazon ·
Charley, Frances and Ivan
Ami Campbell ·
My house was destroyed by Charley in 2004. Rebuilding was a royal pain, Its a learning experience I wouldnt wish on a enemy
Debbie Anderson ·
I was stationed at Biloxi AFB in 1972 and the damage from Camille was still evident!
Like · Reply · 1 · 3 hrs
Vivi Lafter
Charlie the sneaky monster, jumped Tampa and hit us on the east side!! got us good at the river, east 50
Sharon Rojas ·
Carla, Buelah and Andrew.
Ian H McLeod ·
I remember hurricane Hazel.I was 8 years old.
Like · Reply · 1 · 3 hrs
Michael David Heller ·
Didn't know Matthew was retired, weathered that storm in longs,sc last year, thankfully the spot I was at had some elevation, the surrounding area tho saw add sporadic flooding that closed access to many roads in the area.
Barb Kiner
Agnes!!!
Doug Aranda ·
I knew Agnes had to be on the list. What people don't remember is there was flooding in the week before she even got here. When she came in it was all over in Corning NY. It was a perfect setup for destruction.
Like · Reply · 1 · 4 hrs
Anne Witkowski ·
That one washed out the trails in the gorges in Ithaca that had been there for decades, I started school there that fall. One of the girls in my dorm had been flooded in Wyoming Valley, PA.
Like · Reply · 3 hrs
Doug Aranda ·
Anne Witkowski It was very widespread in NY and Pa.
Like · Reply · 3 hrs
Shirley Rose
How about FIFI, MITCH.
Darlene Elliott ·
Works at Self-Employed
Andrew i can remember vividly ....
Like · Reply · 1 · 4 hrs
Genny Ratliff
Katrina ,,
Melanie Heller ·
All of them since the 1950's
Dale Williams ·
What about Betsy, I lived through that one. The eye went right over my house.
Ann E. Huizenga
I had heard Eloise was retired. I was in that hurricane and it was horrendous.
Andy Henry ·
Me too, lived in Puerto Rico at the time - 26 inches of rain in 24 hours, 20-ton boulders set 80 feet up hillsides from wave action...
Like · Reply · 1 · 6 hrs
Ann E. Huizenga
Andy Henry I was in college in Tennessee at the time. While I can't remember the amount of rain we got, the storm was still intense enough that far inland to kill a bunch of people.
Like · Reply · 5 hrs
Susan Rose Zambella ·
Works at Retired
Ive NEVER seen the name SUSAN used! Suzie, Sue....and it makes me mad. I look year after year and NO SUSAN!!!! What the heck????
Sharon Rojas ·
And I have never seen them use Sharon
Like · Reply · 3 hrs
Thomas R Engel
Simple logic says that eventually they will run out of names as names are retired. So, do they have plans to revie old names after 50, 75, or 100 years? Plus it's more dignified if, say, an Agnes of 1972 (which I remember--it's why there is no Erie-Lackawanna RR for instance) got renamed "The Great Hurricane of 1972" and the name got reused after a few years. In my youth newspaper writers and radio announcers always had tacky stories about why hurricanes were named and sexist stories about why they were only female names; early on I learned about dumb cliches from journalists. Back in older times storms had better names, The Great Hurricane of 1938, The Portland Gale (1898; the steamer Portland disappeared during it), The Great Hurricane of 1815/September Gale (which was the storm that convinced scientists that hurricanes were giant whirlpools). Now every storm seems to get a name; we'll soon have a Heavy Dew named Harold!
Emerson Dickey ·
Works at Retired
So true. The first "Storm" this year would never have been noticed in the 50's. With satellites we can now see any cloud out there. Two clouds and you get a name!

And then we can talk about how much worse the weather is. Sorry - I grew up in the 50's and my dad was a meteologist with the US Weather Bureau. I remember the weather then. He is laughing in his grave....
Like · Reply · 8 hrs
Sonja Yagel ·
I am suprised the name Hazel wasn't retired. I well remember the storm in 1954 and she was very destructive to North Carolina
Like · Reply · 1 · 14 hrs
Kathy Pisapia
The name Hazel actually was retired (it's on NHC's page.) This list is not exhaustive; they've only included 10 out of the 82 retired names.
Like · Reply · 1 · 11 hrs
Susan Rose Zambella ·
Works at Retired
Yea, they say names dont get used again, but they do. I look at the lists every year and they have repeat names.....but NEVER SUSAN!!!! Makes me mad!
Like · Reply · 11 hrs
Sharon Stroud Broussard
Susan Rose Zambella ...um, you *really* want your name connected to a very destructive and deadly force of nature? wow...
Like · Reply · 10 hrs
Sonja Yagel ·
Kathy Pisapia Thank you, I thought she ought to be retired, we don't want another Hazel for sure.
Like · Reply · 1 · 8 hrs
Bob Vary
Susan Rose Zambella Have you ever googled "hurricane susan"? There have been quite a few.
Like · Reply · 7 hrs
Susan Rose Zambella ·
Works at Retired
Just did, Bob.......one in 1958.....actually the year I was born....and 1978 near Hawaii. I dont recall either one. The one in 58 veered out to sea and didnt touch any land.
Like · Reply · 4 hrs
Susan Rose Zambella ·
Works at Retired
Sharon Stroud Broussard Sure, why not?
Like · Reply · 4 hrs
 

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