Helene hurricane name retired by World Meteorological Organization
Helene joins Beryl and Milton as the only three names from 2024 to be retired.
This GOES-16 GeoColor satellite image taken at 5:46 p.m. EDT and provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows Hurricane Helene in the Gulf of Mexico moving towards Florida, Thursday, Sept. 26 2024. (NOAA via AP)
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The name of the deadliest hurricane in the history of the Carolinas will never be used again.
The World Meteorological Organization announced on Wednesday that the name Helene will be retired, meaning no other Atlantic or Pacific hurricane will ever receive the moniker. Helene joins 2024 Atlantic hurricanes Beryl and Milton on the retirement list. The name John – used for a September 2024 Category 3 hurricane in the Pacific – was also retired from use.
Hurricane Helene killed at least 249 people across the Southeastern United States and caused catastrophic flooding in Upstate South Carolina and western North Carolina. Five people remain missing over six months after the storm made landfall in Florida on September 27, 2024.
Hurricane names are retired in large part to reduce confusion – the names are a part of a rotating list that repeats every six years. The only way a name is taken off is if it is retired. The 2024 list will be used again in 2030, but the names Beryl, Helene, and Milton will be replaced by Brianna, Holly, and Miguel, respectively.
