The National Hurricane Center features six lists of names for tropical storms and hurricanes, and so the 2026 list was last used in 2020.
That year featured activity at a record volume and pace, although many people were more pre-occupied with the COVID-19 pandemic to notice. The entire list from Arthur to Wilfred was used, and a number of Greek alphabet letters were used to name storms as record 30 named storms, 14 hurricanes and seven major storms (Category 3-5) formed.
The 2026 list features one new name, Leah, as the name Laura was retired after it struck the Louisiana coast near Cameron as a powerful Category 4 storm that ravaged the coast with storm surge and high winds on Aug. 27, 2020. It was one of four named storms to make landfall in Louisiana in 2020.
Other notable storms formed in 2020 but their names were not retired and would be used again this year. Isaias formed into a Category 1 storm that passed just to the east of Florida on Aug. 2 before making landfall in North Carolina, affecting nearly the entire Eastern Seaboard. And Sally hit Florida twice in September, first in south Florida as a depression then near Pensacola as a Category 2 hurricane after strengthening in the Gulf.
While weather experts are forecasting fewer storms in 2026 due to a strongly El Nino potentially forming, should the whole list be used, a supplemental name list, beginning with Adria, would be used instead of the Greek alphabet.
