Hurricane Isaias appears to be the most impactful storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season dominated by a super El Niño. So far this century, storms beginning with "I" have often been the most damaging.

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Eleven "I" hurricanes retired

Over the past 25 years, 11 other "I" hurricanes have had their names retired by the World Meteorological Organization.

By retired, we mean no future Atlantic Basin storm will use that name again. The name is retired when a particular tropical storm or hurricane is so deadly and/or damaging that future use might be considered insensitive or confusing.

When that happens, a new name is chosen by a WMO committee that will be used every six years going forward.

Isaias replaced Ike when that notorious 2008 hurricane name was retired.

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The notorious "I" list

Here's the list of 11 retired "I" hurricanes, starting with the most recent. The century began with four straight from 2001 through 2004 and ended with two more this decade.

• Ian 2022: Florida's costliest hurricane and its aftermath claimed at least 150 lives
• Ida 2021: Storm surge and rainfall flooding in Louisiana, then flash flooding in the Northeast
• Irma 2017: Carved a destructive path from the northeast Caribbean Islands to Florida
• Ingrid 2013: Triggered deadly flooding and mudslides (in addition to Eastern Pacific Manuel) in Mexico
• Irene 2011: While a close call for storm surge in New York City (later flooded by Superstorm Sandy), catastrophic flooding resulted in parts of Vermont, New York and Pennsylvania
• Igor 2010: The most damaging hurricane in recent history for Newfoundland; also struck Bermuda
• Ike 2008: Massive storm surge on the upper Texas and Louisiana coasts; a high wind event well inland to Ohio Valley and beyond
• Ivan 2004: Devastated Grand Cayman; 10- to 15-foot surge along the U.S. Gulf Coast; 120 tornadoes in U.S.
• Isabel 2003: One of most significant hurricanes to hit eastern Virginia since Hazel (1954); storm surge pushed up Chesapeake Bay
• Isidore 2002: Heavy damage to agricultural interests in western Cuba and Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula
• Iris 2001: Devastated southern Belize as a Category 4 hurricane

"I" leads the way

Since 1953, when the naming of Atlantic tropical cyclones abandoned the phonetic alphabet, 100 Atlantic tropical cyclone names have been retired.

Thirteen retired names start with "I," the most of any letter. Inez (1966) and Ione (1955) were the other two retired "I" hurricanes.

While Iota was also retired in 2020 due to its impact in Central America, that name was only utilized because the 2020 name list was used up, requiring the use of the Greek alphabet after Wilfred. For that reason, we're not counting Iota in the retired "I" storms tally.

Other impactful storms

Similar to athletes that had good careers but didn't have their jersey numbers retired, there have also been other recent "I" storms that were damaging, but not to the extent that their names were retired.

Hurricane Idalia in 2023 brought feet of storm surge, heavy rain and strong winds in a Category 3 landfall in northern Florida's Gulf Coast.

Hurricane Isaias in 2020 — yes, there was a previous Isaias — tore through the East with destructive winds after its North Carolina landfall.

Tropical Storm Imelda in 2019 dumped over 40 inches of rain near the upper Texas coast, leading to massive flooding just two years after Hurricane Harvey.

Why "I"?

There's nothing magical about the letter and hurricane season, except where it's placed in the alphabet.

The Atlantic Basin has generated an average of 14 named storms each hurricane season from 1991 through 2020.

Since "I" is the ninth letter of the alphabet, and thus the ninth named storm of the season, you can pretty much count on an "I" storm each season now, as opposed to, say, the 1970s or 1980s, when named storm counts were lower. (Note: A long-term reanalysis project at NOAA's Hurricane Research Division has added a number of unnamed storms in past decades that would have earned an "I" name if they were detected at the time.)

According to the National Hurricane Center, the average date the ninth storm developed over the past 30 years is Sept. 16.

That date is in the heart of hurricane season, when tropical easterly waves coming off western Africa are most vigorous; shearing winds that could rip apart a developing tropical system in the zone between Africa and the Lesser Antilles are lowest; and sea-surface temperatures are at their warmest.

In a typical year, an "I" storm has a better chance to be a long-lived, intense hurricane with these generally favorable factors in play.

Not a guarantee

That doesn't mean every year will generate a terrible "I" storm.

In both 2024 and 2025, Isaac and Imelda became classic North Atlantic "fish storms", after an ominous earlier forecast for Imelda.

Despite the overall historic 2005 hurricane season, its "I" storm — Hurricane Irene — remained out in the open Atlantic.

So, don't fixate on this statistic.

Be prepared for any storm or hurricane threat throughout the season, even if it doesn't start with "I".

Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.