Here are the storm names SC may still see before hurricane season 2024 ends. Is your name listed?
The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season has gotten busy, but officials still have plenty of names left for any powerful storms that may arise.
So far, there have been 12 named storms for the 2024 Atlantic Hurricane season. After Helene, Hurricane Kirk formed and is currently a Category 3 storm. It’s not expected to impact the Southeast.
Leslie gained tropical storm strength Wednesday evening. While it is expected to become a hurricane in the coming days, it is also not predicted to impact the Southeast.
NOAA has predicted an above-normal hurricane season with between 17 and 24 named storms (with winds of 39 mph or greater), of which eight to 13 could become hurricanes (with winds of 74 mph or greater). There could also be four to seven major hurricanes (with winds of 111 mph or greater).
Remaining storm names for 2024
Officials make a list of potential storm names before the start of hurricane seasons. Below is the remaining list of possible names for the 2024 hurricane season, which lasts from June 1 through the end of November.
- Milton
- Nadine
- Oscar
- Patty
- Rafael
- Sara
- Tony
- Valarie
- William
How hurricane naming works
Hurricane names are used in rotation and recycled every six years. Many of the names in 2024 will be used again in 2030. However, sometimes named storms gain enough notoriety for the damage and death they cause that their names are permanently removed from the list.
Tropical storms get named when they display a rotating circulation pattern and wind speeds reach 39 mph. A tropical storm becomes a hurricane when wind speeds exceed 74 mph. The World Meteorological Organization maintains and updates the names of Atlantic tropical storms. Hurricane names picked use only 21 letters of the alphabet because there are few names that start with Q, U, X, Z and Y. Also, English, Spanish and French names are all used to reflect geographical coverage of Atlantic and Caribbean storms. According to the South Carolina Emergency Management Division, South Carolina is one of the most vulnerable states to hurricanes and tropical storms all throughout the season.
