Each annual Atlantic hurricane-name list contains 21 names. The list runs alphabetically from A through W, skipping the letters Q, U, X, Y, and Z.
The World Meteorological Organization maintains six rotating lists for the North Atlantic basin. Under the normal schedule, a list returns every six years, although particularly destructive storm names can be retired and replaced. Names alternate between traditionally masculine and feminine names, reflecting the modern system adopted in the late 1970s.
The 21-name list is not a prediction of how many storms will form. It is simply the standard supply of names prepared for a season. If more than 21 named storms occur, forecasters now use a supplemental list of names. Before 2021, the Greek alphabet was used after the regular list ran out; that practice ended because retired Greek names and storm communication created complications. A storm receives a name once it reaches tropical or subtropical storm strength, not only when it becomes a hurricane.