List of retired Pacific hurricane names

This is a list of all Pacific hurricanes that have had their names retired. Hurricane names are retired by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in a meeting in March or April of each year. Those hurricanes that have their names retired tend to be exceptionally destructive storms that often become household names in the regions they affected. Storm names are retired following a request made at the WMO meeting by one or more of the countries affected by a hurricane. Nine tropical cyclone names have been retired since the start of tropical cyclone naming in the eastern Pacific Ocean, including four storms named by the Central Pacific Hurricane Center. In addition, several names were removed from the naming list for various reasons other than retirement.

General information

Since 1960, 11 storms have had their names removed from the list of Pacific hurricane names, including two from the Central Pacific. Of these, two names, Adolph and Israel, were removed for political considerations cite web|author=Gary Padgett, Jack Beven, and James Lewis Free|year=2006|title=What names have been retired in the Atlantic and East Pacific basin?|publisher=Hurricane Research Division|accessdate=2006-12-08|url=http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/B3.html] due to connections to Adolf Hitler and the country Israel, respectively. Two names prior to the start of modern naming in 1978 were removed from the lists for unknown reasons: Hazel was removed following its usage in 1965 and Adele was removed following its usage in 1970. The former made landfall on northwestern Mexico as a minimal tropical storm with no known effects, while Adele remained at sea for its duration. However, the name Hurricane Hazel was previously retired in the Atlantic basin. Since the standardization of Pacific hurricane naming in 1978, several names have been retired due to pronunciation ambiguity, a socially unacceptable meaning in another language, or because they represented a significant human disaster. The names of Knut in 1987 and Iva in 1988 were removed from naming lists without either having affected any landmass, and were replaced with Kenneth and Ileana. Hurricanes Fico and Fefa were removed from lists, as well. It is unknown whether the names were removed due to issues regarding the pronunciation or meaning of their names or due to their respective damages on Hawaii.cite web|author=World Meteorological Organization|year=2007|title=Regional Association IV (North America, Central America and the Caribbean) Hurricane Operational Plan (Report No. TCP30)|pages=Table IV, Names of Eastern North Pacific Ocean Storms Retired into Hurricane History, page 9-5|accessdate=2008-02-02|url=http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/www/tcp/documents/TCP30_English2007.pdf]

Multiple names were altered slightly by changing the spelling of a tropical cyclone name. Kirsten in 1966 became Kristen in 1970, though was reverted back to Kirsten in 1974.cite web|author=Atlantic Tropical Weather Center|year=2006|title=Tropical Cyclone Retirement|publisher=Ablaze Productions, Inc.|accessdate=2006-12-07|url=http://www.atwc.org/pachist.txt] The name Dalilia, which was used in 1983 and 1989, was changed, perhaps inadvertently, to Dalila in 1995, a change which remains intact on the naming list.cite web|author=Edward N. Rappaport|year=1995|title=Tropical Storm Dalila Tropical Cyclone Report|publisher=National Hurricane Center|accessdate=2006-12-07|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/1995dalila.html] The name Dolores, which was used in 1979 and 1985, was changed to Delores for the 1991 and 1997 seasons. In 2003 it was reverted back to Dolores, a change which remains on the list of Pacific tropical cyclone names.

Prior to 1957, two storms in the Central Pacific Ocean received Hawaiian names and were never re-used. From 1957 until the late 1970s, names in the basin received names from the list of typhoon names for its year, though none were retired. Since the modern system of Central Pacific tropical cyclone naming began in the early 1980s, two names were retired for their effects on Hawaii. Iwa was replaced with Io following its usage in 1982, and Iniki was replaced with Iolana following its usage in 1992. In 2006, the Central Pacific Hurricane Center changed or removed sixteen names in the basin, including several that were never used. Of the sixteen, two names were retired; Typhoon Paka was replaced with Pama following its usage in 1997, and Hurricane Ioke was replaced with Iopa following its usage in 2006. Typhoon Paka was named in the central Pacific Ocean, though attained peak strength and caused greatest impact in the western Pacific Ocean. [cite web|author=Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research|year=2007|title=61st Interdepartmental Hurricane Conference Action Items|accessdate=2007-07-21|url=http://www.ofcm.gov/homepage/text/spc_proj/ihc/action-items.pdf]

Lists of retired names

Listed by intensity

This lists all retired hurricanes by their peak intensity, which is determined by measurements of the minimum central pressure.

While the intensity of tropical cyclones is measured solely by central pressure, wind speeds are also estimated; the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale is used in the Pacific basin to rank hurricanes according to their strongest 1-minute sustained winds. While most hurricanes do not make landfall at their peak intensity, they are often referred to by their strongest Saffir-Simpson Category rather than by their landfall Category.

Of the storms in the Pacific whose names have been retired, two peaked as Category 1 hurricanes, one peaked as a Category 3 hurricane, three peaked as Category 4 hurricanes, and three peaked as a Category 5 hurricane. Many storms of high intensities have not had their names retired because most Pacific hurricanes do not make landfall.

Landfalls

Landfall of a tropical cyclone is defined as the moving of the center of the eye over land. Damages from a tropical cyclone are usually greatest where it makes landfall. In the below list, the retired hurricanes are listed in chronological order with their landfall locations listed under columns designating their strength on the Saffir-Simpson Scale at the time of landfall. Within a cell, landfalls are listed in chronological order. Four retired hurricanes, Hurricanes Fico, Iwa, Fefa, and Ioke never made landfall anywhere at any intensity. They are omitted from this list. The centre of Paka passed slightly to the north of Guam as a Category 4-equivalent storm, however this is not included as a landfall.

ee also

* List of Pacific hurricanes
* List of retired tropical cyclone names
** List of retired Atlantic hurricane names
** List of retired Pacific typhoon names
*

External links

* [http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pastall.shtml National Hurricane Center's Post-Season Reports]
* [http://www.weather.unisys.com/hurricane/e_pacific/index.html Unisys Weather archives for the Eastern Pacific]

References