SC may see these storm names over the rest of hurricane season 2023. Is your name listed?

Patrick McCreless
·2 min read

And then there was Gert.

Tropical Storm Gert, as of Monday morning, was the latest named storm for Atlantic hurricane season 2023. It is one of seven named storms for the season so far this year, but it will likely not be the last.

Weather experts still have more named storms in their hurricane season forecast for South Carolina and the rest of the Southeast. And there’s still plenty of potential storm names left on the list for 2023.

SC Hurricane Season 2023

South Carolina is expected to have an above-normal hurricane season for the remainder of the year, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The latest forecast, which includes the entire hurricane season that lasts from June through November, calls for 14-21 named storms (winds of 39 mph or greater), of which six to 11 could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or greater). And of those, two to five could become major hurricanes (winds of 111 mph or greater). This forecast includes storms that have already formed this season.

South Carolina impact

None of the named storms this hurricane season have been a particular threat to South Carolina and Gert is no different. On Monday, forecasters expected Gert to weaken and dissipate throughout the day.

Storm names for 2023

All the potential storm names for hurricane season are set in advance. Here are the names used in 2023 so far, followed by the names that are left.

  • Arlene — USED

  • Bret — USED

  • Cindy — USED

  • Don — USED

  • Emily — USED

  • Franklin — USED

  • Gert — USED

  • Harold

  • Idalia

  • Jose

  • Katia

  • Lee

  • Margot

  • Nigel

  • Ophelia

  • Philippe

  • Rina

  • Sean

  • Tammy

  • Vince

  • Whitney

How hurricane naming works

Hurricane names are used in rotation and recycled every six years. Many of the names in 2023 will be used again in 2029. However, sometimes named storms gain enough notoriety for the damage and death they cause that their names are permanently removed from the list.

Tropical storms get named when they display a rotating circulation pattern and wind speeds reach 39 mph. A tropical storm becomes a hurricane when wind speeds exceed 74 mph. The World Meteorological Organization maintains and updates the names of Atlantic tropical storms. Hurricane names picked use only 21 letters of the alphabet because there are few names that start with Q, U, X, Z and Y. Also, English, Spanish and French names are all used to reflect geographical coverage of Atlantic and Caribbean storms. According to the South Carolina Emergency Management Division, South Carolina is one of the most vulnerable states to hurricanes and tropical storms all throughout the season.