Hurricane Ian struck the United States in September 2022, becoming associated with extreme devastation. The storm made landfall in southwest Florida as a powerful Category 4 hurricane, bringing catastrophic wind damage and a massive storm surge. Its path of destruction continued as it crossed the Florida peninsula and made a secondary U.S. landfall in South Carolina. The storm’s severity and widespread impact generated public interest in its future status on the rotating lists of storm names.
The Decision to Retire Hurricane Ian’s Name
The name “Ian” has been officially and permanently retired from the Atlantic tropical cyclone naming list. This decision was finalized by the World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) Regional Association IV Hurricane Committee. The official announcement was made in March 2023, following the conclusion of the 2022 hurricane season.
The retirement was specifically due to the extreme “death and destruction” caused by the storm. Hurricane Ian was responsible for over 150 direct and indirect fatalities across its path in the United States. It is also noted as the costliest hurricane in Florida’s history, with estimated damages exceeding $112 billion in the U.S. alone. The committee determined that the level of human suffering and financial cost made the continued use of the name inappropriate for sensitivity reasons.
Criteria for Retiring Tropical Cyclone Names
Tropical cyclone names are organized into six-year rotating lists, meaning the list from a given year is reused every sixth season. The purpose of retiring a name is to remove those that have acquired “special notoriety” due to their catastrophic nature, not because the name has been used up. The future use of such a name could cause distress or be seen as insensitive to the victims and communities affected.
The WMO’s Hurricane Committee is the authority that manages these lists and reviews the names from the preceding season. Any member country affected by a storm can request the retirement of its name. The decision to retire a name is typically reached by consensus or a majority vote among the committee members at their annual meeting.
While there is no rigid, quantitative threshold, a storm must be so deadly or costly that its future use would be considered inappropriate. This standard ensures that names associated with historic tragedy, like Ian, are permanently removed from the rotation. This retirement process applies to the official naming lists for both the Atlantic Basin and the Eastern North Pacific, which utilize similar rotating conventions.
Selection of Replacement Names
When a name is retired, the vacant spot on the six-year list must be filled with a replacement name. The WMO committee is responsible for selecting this new name, which must adhere to the same requirements as all other names on the list. These requirements include alternating between male and female names, and reflecting a balance of names familiar to the English, French, and Spanish-speaking populations in the region.
The committee chose “Idris” to permanently replace Ian on the Atlantic naming list. The selection process excludes certain letters (Q, U, X, Y, and Z) because it is challenging to find suitable names for all six rotating lists that begin with them. The replacement name also cannot be one that has been previously retired.
Since the name Ian was on the list used for the 2022 season, the new name, Idris, will not be used immediately. The list from 2022 is scheduled to cycle back into use six years later, meaning Idris will first appear as a potential storm name during the 2028 Atlantic hurricane season. This system ensures a consistent and predictable sequence for naming tropical cyclones.