'Ian,' 'Fiona' Retired As Hurricane Names, WMO Announces

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Two names from the 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season - Ian and Fiona - have been retired and will not be reused again.

Storm names are removed from the list when storms associated with those names cause catastrophic damage and/or significant loss of life.

Atlantic tropical storm and hurricane name lists repeat every six years unless a storm fits either of these categories. This avoids any confusion or insensitivity over the use of particularly infamous storms like Harvey, Katrina, Maria or Sandy to describe another future storm.

In 2028, the “F" and "I” names will be “Farrah” and "Idris.”

A committee of the World Meteorological Organization – not the U.S. National Hurricane Center – is responsible for the tropical cyclone name lists.

Recently, almost all retired names were associated with a billion-dollar disaster and a tremendous loss of life.

This year’s list is no exception to that.

The 2022 retired storms combined for a total of $115 billion dollars in damage and 179 lives lost.

H​urricane Ian

Hurricane Ian was the costliest hurricane on record to hit Florida.

Hurricane Ian initially plowed into western Cuba, damaging buildings, knocking out power and flooding some areas in waist-deep water.

I​an then intensified before it slammed ashore in southwest Florida at Category 4 intensity on Sept. 28. Its peak storm surge was estimated at just over 15 feet and wind gusts up to 140 mph leveled much of Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel Island.

(​FULL RECAP: Hurricane Ian)

I​an went on to produce record inland flooding in several locations in the Florida Peninsula that would last for well over a week, and produced storm surge flooding and high winds along the coast from northeast Florida to the Carolinas, including Pawleys Island and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

At least 150 people were killed either directly by Ian, or during its aftermath, 119 of which occurred in Florida. That makes Ian one of the deadliest U.S. hurricanes since 1980.

(MORE: Ian Joins a Long List of Retired 'I' Names)

H​urricane Fiona

Hurricane Fiona was an intense mid-hurricane season storm that made landfalls in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, the Turks and Caicos and in Canada, setting new records and causing destruction in multiple countries along the way.

Hurricane Fiona hammered Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic with up to 32 inches of rain and Category 1 winds, causing widespread flash flooding, downing numerous trees and triggering an island-wide power outage for Puerto Rico's 3.2 million residents.

Fiona then slammed into Atlantic Canada on Sept. 24 as a post-tropical cyclone, the most intense low-pressure system (of any kind) on record in Canada with a minimum pressure of 932.7 mb.

Storm surge and battering waves wiped out some coastal homes. High winds downed numerous trees and rainfall flooding was widespread in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, eastern New Brunswick, western Newfoundland and even southeastern Quebec. Gusts up to 111 mph were measured in Nova Scotia. At least one estimate places Fiona as the costliest weather event for Atlantic Canada.

(​FULL RECAP: Hurricane Fiona)

Fiona is responsible for the deaths of 29 people and more than two billion dollars in losses in the U.S. alone. Another $600,000 (USD) in insured damages occurred in Canada. Throughout the Caribbean and Canada, total losses are estimated at $3.09 billion.

F​iona's destruction in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Atlantic Canada, not to mention setting Canada's all-time low-pressure record, qualified it for retirement.

R​etired Facts

Since the naming of Atlantic tropical cyclones ditched the phonetic alphabet in 1953, 96 Atlantic tropical cyclone names have been retired, including 2021's Ida, 2020's Laura, 2019's Dorian, 2018's Florence and Michael, and 2017's Harvey, Irma, Maria and Nate.

Only 19 seasons have not had a name retired, most recently in 2014. Another 27 seasons, through 2021, have had multiple names removed from future use, led by the record-smashing 2005 hurricane season's five retirees.

The top 31 costliest U.S. hurricanes have all had their names retired. Each was responsible for at least $8.7 billion in damage in the U.S., according to NOAA.

The next hurricane season isn’t far away.

Educate yourself on what you need to know this hurricane season. Here's a reading list to get you started:

Cone of Uncertainty: Facts and Myths About This Tropical Forecasting Tool

Hurricane Season Terms You Need to Know

Spaghetti Models: Four Things You Need To Know To Track Storms Like The Pros

What is a Potential Tropical Cyclone?

Why the Projected Path For Hurricanes, Tropical Storms Doesn't Always Tell the Full Story

Four Things You May Not Know About Hurricane Forecasts

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