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Ida Retired From Hurricane List; Will Be Replaced By Imani in 2027
April 27, 2022 at 03:27 PM EDT
By WeatherBug Meteorologist, Andrew Rosenthal
Since the 1950s, hurricanes have been given names, alternating between male and female identities through most of the alphabet. This makes it easier to recognize an individual storm and communicate its threats and damage. There are six lists that cycle around, such that every sixth year, a storm’s name will be repeated.
What happens when a storm is particularly strong or memorable? A process of storm-name “retirement” occurs each spring, when the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) holds a conference to update the naming list from the previous year. Typically, countries that are highly impacted by a hurricane will nominate a name to be considered for removal.
This past year, 21 named storms formed between May and November, with Sam becoming the strongest at 155 mph – a Category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. Three additional storms reached Category 3 or 4 intensity. Of the storms that reached major hurricane status, the considered one of these to be powerful and memorable enough to be included in the retired list: Hurricane Ida.
Ida struck the western edge of Cuba as a hurricane on August 27, intensifying into a major hurricane as it worked its way across the Gulf of Mexico. The storm slammed ashore into Port Fourchon, La., on August 29 as a Category 4 monster with winds of 130 mph, among the strongest on record in the Pelican State. A very slow weakening trend kept Ida intact for the next 24 hours before losing tropical characteristics as it crossed the central Appalachians.
Flooding was reported throughout the New Orleans metro area, with 8 feet of water overtopping levees in Jefferson Parish. Ida produced tornadoes from Mississippi to Maryland, including an EF-2 in Annapolis, Md., and an EF-1 near Pass Christian, Miss. Heavy rainfall from Ida caused the Schuylkill River to overtop its banks in Philadelphia, flooding many of the city’s freeways, and portions of Connecticut reported as much as 9 inches of rain.
In all, Ida has been estimated to be the third-most costly hurricane on record, producing damage as high as $75 billion. Eighty-seven people were killed by the storm.
Given all of these factors, the WMO decided that for the 2027 Atlantic hurricane season, the name “Ida” should not return. Instead, the ninth storm for that season will be “Imani.”
The same retirement process is conducted for the Eastern Pacific tropical basin, although no names were retired this past year, meaning that the 2027 season will repeat the same list as 2021. The Atlantic season gets underway “officially” on June 1, although more often than not, the first named storm forms before the end of May. Should the season get off to an early start, the first names on the list for this year would be Alex, Bonnie and Colin.
What happens when a storm is particularly strong or memorable? A process of storm-name “retirement” occurs each spring, when the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) holds a conference to update the naming list from the previous year. Typically, countries that are highly impacted by a hurricane will nominate a name to be considered for removal.
This past year, 21 named storms formed between May and November, with Sam becoming the strongest at 155 mph – a Category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. Three additional storms reached Category 3 or 4 intensity. Of the storms that reached major hurricane status, the considered one of these to be powerful and memorable enough to be included in the retired list: Hurricane Ida.
Ida struck the western edge of Cuba as a hurricane on August 27, intensifying into a major hurricane as it worked its way across the Gulf of Mexico. The storm slammed ashore into Port Fourchon, La., on August 29 as a Category 4 monster with winds of 130 mph, among the strongest on record in the Pelican State. A very slow weakening trend kept Ida intact for the next 24 hours before losing tropical characteristics as it crossed the central Appalachians.
Flooding was reported throughout the New Orleans metro area, with 8 feet of water overtopping levees in Jefferson Parish. Ida produced tornadoes from Mississippi to Maryland, including an EF-2 in Annapolis, Md., and an EF-1 near Pass Christian, Miss. Heavy rainfall from Ida caused the Schuylkill River to overtop its banks in Philadelphia, flooding many of the city’s freeways, and portions of Connecticut reported as much as 9 inches of rain.
In all, Ida has been estimated to be the third-most costly hurricane on record, producing damage as high as $75 billion. Eighty-seven people were killed by the storm.
Given all of these factors, the WMO decided that for the 2027 Atlantic hurricane season, the name “Ida” should not return. Instead, the ninth storm for that season will be “Imani.”
The same retirement process is conducted for the Eastern Pacific tropical basin, although no names were retired this past year, meaning that the 2027 season will repeat the same list as 2021. The Atlantic season gets underway “officially” on June 1, although more often than not, the first named storm forms before the end of May. Should the season get off to an early start, the first names on the list for this year would be Alex, Bonnie and Colin.