2026 hurricane season storm names have been announced. The Atlantic season begins in less than 100 days. While no one knows when the first storm will hit, its name is already known: Arthur.

The World Meteorological Organization manages the hurricane name lists. It maintains 21 names in a six-year rotation. Therefore, 2026’s names may sound familiar. Many were also used in 2020.

When a tropical storm reaches wind speeds of 39 mph or higher, it receives a name from the list. The names are assigned alphabetically.

The 2026 Atlantic hurricane season names are: Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal, Dolly, Edouard, Fay, Gonzalo, Hanna, Isaias, Josephine, Kyle, Leah, Marco, Nana, Omar, Paulette, Rene, Sally, Teddy, Vicky, Wilfred.

Hurricanes are named to avoid confusion. Before the 1950s, storms were tracked by the order they formed. This caused problems when multiple storms occurred simultaneously. NOAA explains that short, distinctive names streamline communication.

From 1953 to 1979, only female names were used. The WMO committee meets annually to review names. If a storm is deadly or costly, its name is retired for sensitivity reasons. Most recently retired names after 2024 were Beryl, Helene, and Milton.

Since 1953, 99 names have been retired from the Atlantic list. The full list is available on the National Hurricane Center website.

If all names are used before the season ends, a supplemental list is available. It was created in 2021 after the 2020 season exhausted both the regular list and the Greek alphabet. The Greek alphabet is no longer used because it caused confusion and drew attention away from the storms themselves.

Names Eta and Iota were retired after 2020. Some letters of the alphabet are not used for names. Q, U, X, Y, and Z lack enough usable names, and they can be difficult to translate across languages.

Overall, the hurricane naming system helps meteorologists communicate clearly. It also keeps the public informed during storm events. Tracking storms by name reduces confusion and strengthens preparedness across the Atlantic region.