Every year, the National Hurricane Center generates a list of names. They have done so since 1953. The National Hurricane Center first used only female names for storms; but in 1979 that changed. The names of hurricanes alternates between male hurricane names and female hurricane names.

The names of hurricanes are listed alphabetically. Thus, the first tropical storm or hurricane of the year has a name that begins with the letter “A” and the second tropical storm or hurricane has a name that begins with the letter “B.” The hurricane lists from the National Hurricane Center has names that begin from the letter A through the letter W, but does not include names that begin with the letter “Q” or the letter “U.”

Currently, there are actually six different lists of hurricane names that rotate from year to year. The hurricane lists only change when there is a hurricane that devastating that the name is retired and another name then  replaces that hurricane name.

2008 Hurricane Names

This year, for 2008, we are using the following list:

Arthur
Bertha
Cristobal
Dolly
Edouard
Fay
Gustav
Hanna
Ike
Josephine
Kyle
Laura
Marco
Nana
Omar
Paloma
Rene
Sally
Teddy
Vicky
Wilfred

Of course, we do not expect to go through the entire list of hurricane names this year. And we certainly hope that we do not have any hurricanes that require that the name be retired; which would mean that the hurricane was a devastating one–like Hurricane Katrina.

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