There will never be another hurricane named ‘Helene’ in the Atlantic basin.
On Wednesday, the World Meteorological Organization’s Hurricane Committee announced that Helene, along with Beryl and Milton are retired as Atlantic hurricane names.
The committee oversees the names of hurricanes and typically repeats its name collection every six years. Scientists name the storms as part of a larger public safety communication strategy.
If a storm is deadly enough, like in the case of Hurricane Helene, the committee will retire the name. The storm’s death toll in North Carolina was 107. It was the deadliest hurricane to affect the continental United States since Katrina in 2005, causing 248 fatalities in the southeast.
A final report by the National Hurricane Center revealed that Helene caused 2,000 landslides in Western North Carolina and broke records for water levels in 63 streams and rivers.
Helene’s damage is estimated at $78.7 billion, which makes it the seventh costliest hurricane to hit the United States.
Climate change, specifically the warmer weather in the Gulf of Mexico, allowed Helene to grow more powerful and carry heavier rainfall, according to a study by World Weather Attribution.
Last year, the Atlantic basin saw 18 named storms, with 11 of those becoming hurricanes and five of them becoming major hurricanes that were Category 3 or higher. It was the ninth successive season with above average hurricane activity.
