WMO’s Hurricane Committee defers consideration of storm name retirement
The annual week-long meeting of the World Meteorological Organization’s Hurricane Committee, which reviews the previous season and prepares for the forthcoming one, was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The annual week-long meeting of the World Meteorological Organization’s Hurricane Committee, which reviews the previous season and prepares for the forthcoming one, was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In its place, a video conference took place on 31 March to address operational critical issues. That includes regional coordination and update of the operational procedures in hurricane warning matters throughout WMO Regional Association IV (North America, Central America and the Caribbean). The Atlantic hurricane season typically runs from 1 June to 30 November.
An additional video conference on 3 April is due to adopt the meeting report. The Hurricane Committee had originally been scheduled to take place in Panama.
Consideration of 2019 storm name retirements was not on the agenda. This will instead be addressed at the spring 2021 meeting of the Hurricane Committee, which will consider the potential retirement of any 2019 and 2020 hurricane names.
Atlantic tropical cyclone name lists repeat every six years unless a storm is so severe that the Hurricane Committee votes to retire that name from future lists.
The 2019 names will not be used again until 2025. The 2025 name list will not be updated until the 2021 meeting has been completed.
- WMO Member:
- Panama
