You might share a name with an SC hurricane this year. Here are the possible names for 2026
.png "Tropical Storm Chantal was expected to reach inland South Carolina by July 6, 2025, according to a briefing by the National Weather Service.")
It’s almost hurricane season and so far forecasters are saying it will likely be a mild season.
But they’ve got their list of names, just in case.
Hurricane season begins June 1 and will last through Nov. 30.
”We anticipate that the 2026 Atlantic basin hurricane season will have somewhat below-normal activity,” researchers at Colorado State University said. “Current weak La Niña conditions are likely to transition to El Niño in the next few months, with the potential for a moderate/strong El Niño for the peak of hurricane season.”
That means less probability of major hurricane landfalls.
CSU predicts six hurricanes, two of them major, and 13 named storms.
Last year, there were 13 named storms.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration described 2025 as “notable for its striking contrast — wavering between periods of relative calm and bursts of intense activity, generating very powerful storms.“
“For the first time in a decade, not a single hurricane struck the U.S. this season, and that was a much-needed break,” Neil Jacobs, NOAA administrator, said last year.
Tropical storm Chantal made landfall near Litchfield Beach, South Carolina on July 6 with 50 mph winds and then spread inland.
An average season has 14 named storms, seven hurricanes, and three major hurricanes, NOAA said.
There were three Category 5 hurricanes, the second-most on record in a single season, but weather patterns kept them away from the United States.
The World Meteorological Organization has selected its names for any hurricanes that should develop this year. In fact, they have names through 2031.
The names are recycled every six years, but if a storm causes death and destruction their names are removed permanently. The most recent was Melissa, a Category 5 storm that swept across Jamaica in late October.
Other names retired include Katrina, Hugo and Ian. There are 100 names that have been retired since 1954.
Tropical storms with a rotating circulation pattern and wind speeds of at least 39 mph are named. Hurricanes have wind speeds exceeding 74 mph.
Here are the 2026 names.
- Arthur
- Bertha
- Cristobal
- Dolly
- Edouard
- Fay
- Gonzalo
- Hanna
- Isaias
- Josephine
- Kyle
- Leah
- Marco
- Nana
- Omar
- Paulette
- Rene
- Sally
- Teddy
- Vicky
- Wilfred