Good riddance, Beryl, Helen, and Milton.
These three deadly and catastrophic hurricanes that pounded the southern United States last year have been retired.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said that hurricane names Beryl, Helene, and Milton have been replaced with Brianna, Holly, and Miguel. The new names will make their debut during the 2030 hurricane season.
An international committee of meteorologists periodically retires the names of notorious hurricanes when the panel decides that “a storm is so deadly or costly that the future use of its name on a different storm would be inappropriate for reasons of sensitivity,” according to the World Meteorological Organization. Together, the three hurricanes were responsible for 368 deaths.
A total of 99 names have been retired from the Atlantic list since 1954.
Advertisement
Beryl
Beryl was the earliest Atlantic Category 5 hurricane on record, causing catastrophic damage across Caribbean nations, while Helene and Milton caused catastrophic damage across parts of the United States.
Forming in late June, Beryl went through rapid intensification to become a very powerful hurricane, leveling islands across the Lesser Antilles before twice making landfall — once in the Yucatan and then in Texas.
Beryl killed 73 people and held together enough moisture to cause over $32 billion in damages, mainly from flooding.
Helene
After a lengthy lull in the height of hurricane season, Hurricane Helene rapidly came to life in late September. Turning into a Category 4 storm, Helene maintained that strength through landfall in Florida’s Gulf Coast, the ninth most intense landfall across the continental United States.
Advertisement
Catastrophic flooding stretched from Florida to the Carolinas and into parts of the interior Tennessee Valley, causing over $78 billion in damages and killing 250. Helene’s remnants also brought heavy rain into New England.
Milton
Forming in the Gulf during the first week of October, Milton underwent explosive rapid intensification as it moved to the east toward Florida, reaching Category 5 strength and making landfall once again to Florida’s Gulf Coast as a Category 3 hurricane.
Milton became so strong that it tied with Hurricane Rita as the fourth most intense Atlantic hurricane on record. A total of 45 people were killed in the hurricane, which caused over $34 billion in damages, with a notable tornado outbreak across Central and Northern Florida.
Ken Mahan can be reached at ken.mahan@globe.com. Follow him on Instagram @kenmahantheweatherman.