When the the winds from these storms reach 39 mph (34 kts), the cyclones are given names.
Years ago, an international committee developed names for Atlantic cyclones. In 1979 a six year rotating list of Atlantic storm names was adopted — alternating between male and female hurricane names.
Storm names are used to facilitate geographic referencing, for warning services, for legal issues, and to reduce confusion when two or more tropical cyclones occur at the same time.
The names assigned for the period between 2016 and 2020 are shown below.
Through a vote of the World Meteorological Organization Region IV Subcommittee, Atlantic cyclone names are retired usually when hurricanes result in substantial damage or death or for other special circumstances.
Names for Atlantic Basin Tropical Cyclones