Ida retired from lists of hurricane names in the Atlantic

(Gray News) - The World Meteorological Organization announced Wednesday that Ida has retired from the rotating lists of Atlantic tropical cyclone names.

The decision was made based on the mass destruction and number of deaths caused by the category 4 hurricane in 2021.

Instead, Imani will be used in the lists of names.

According to the WMO, the names are repeated every six years, unless a storm is so deadly that its name is retired.

In total, 94 names have been retired from the Atlantic basin list since 1953.

The Atlantic hurricane season officially begins June 1 and continues through November.

According to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2021 was the third most active year on record in terms of named storms.

WMO reports there were a total of 21 named storms with winds of 39 mph or greater, four of which were major hurricanes reaching category 3 and above.

Peaking as a category 4, Ida was the most devastating storm of the 2021 hurricane season. It was responsible for 55 direct deaths and 32 indirect deaths, according to WMO.

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