Dean, Felix, and Noel Retired From List of Storm Names

International Committee Selects Replacement Names for 2013 List

May 13, 2008

Hurricane Felix, a Category 5 storm, bears down on Central America.

Hurricane Felix, a Category 5 storm, bears down on Central America.

High resolution (Credit: NOAA)

The names Dean, Felix, and Noel, three of the most devastating storms of the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season, were retired by members of the 30th Session of the World Meteorological Organization's Regional Association IV Hurricane Committee during its annual meeting in Orlando, Fla. 

Members of the committee, which includes representatives from NOAA’s National Hurricane Center, can remove names associated with storms that cause significant loss of life and property. These names will not be used again because of the wide spread destruction caused by these storms.

The committee issues a list of potential names for tropical cyclones every six years and for 2013, Dean, Felix, and Noel have been replaced with Dorian, Fernand, and Nestor. Since tropical cyclones were first named in 1953, 70 names have been retired, the first two being Carol and Hazel in 1954.

Details of the newly retired 2007 named storms are shown below:

Hurricane Dean was a Category 5 storm as it hit the Mexican coast.

Hurricane Dean was a Category 5 storm as it hit the Mexican coast.

High resolution (Credit: NOAA)

Names for the upcoming 2008 Atlantic season, which begins June 1, include Arthur, Bertha, Christobal, Dolly, Edouard, Fay, Gustav, Hanna, Ike, Josephine, Kyle, Laura, Marco, Nana, Omar, Paloma, Rene, Sally, Teddy, Vicky, and Wilfred.

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