Hurricane Names Retired

Dean, Felix, and Noel have been retired from the list of hurricane names. An international committee decided to pull the names because of the death and devastation the three caused during the 2007 Atlantic Hurricane Season.

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

Here's some information about each storm:Hurricane Dean was a Category 5 storm as it hit the Mexican coast

1. In the warm Caribbean water, Dean reached Category 5 strength of 165 mph just before landfall on Aug. 21 near Costa Maya on the Yucatan Peninsula. It weakened over land but emerged into the Bay of Campeche, strengthening to Category 2 status just before landfall the next day south of Tuxpan, Mexico. Dean is directly responsible for 32 deaths across the Caribbean, with the largest tolls in Mexico and Haiti.


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

2. Felix was the second hurricane of the season to make landfall as a Category 5 hurricane, a feat never seen before in records dating back to 1851. Felix rapidly intensified and became a Category 5 hurricane about 400 miles southeast of Jamaica. The storm weakened to Category 3 but re-intensified to Category 5 status just before landfall on Sept. 4 at Punta Gorda, Nicaragua. Felix was responsible for 130 deaths in Nicaragua and Honduras, causing major damage in northeastern Nicaragua and inland flooding over portions of Central America.


Infrared satellite image of Hurricane Noel on November 1, 2007

3. Noel was a late season storm that slowly-moved over the Dominican Republic, Haiti, eastern Cuba and the lower Bahamas from Oct. 25 to Oct. 31. The storm became a Category 1 hurricane on Nov. 1 in the northwestern Bahamas. As it accelerated northeast over the western Atlantic waters near Nantucket Island, Mass., it was no longer classified as a tropical system but packed 75 mph winds as it came ashore near Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. Noel was responsible for at least 160 deaths across the Caribbean and Bahamas. The system produced hurricane force winds over portions of the northeast U.S. and Canada, producing widespread power outages. It also produced significant coastal flooding and wave action that washed out coastal roads in portions of Nova Scotia.

Pictures and story courtesy NOAA