From the National Hurricane Center…. June 1st marks the first day of the Atlantic hurricane season, which will run until November 30. Long-term averages for the number of named storms, hurricanes, and major hurricanes are 12, 6, and 3, respectively.
The list of names for 2016 is as follows:Name Pronunciation Name Pronunciation
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Alex AL-leks Lisa LEE-suh
Bonnie BAH-nee Matthew MATH-yoo
Colin KAH-lihn Nicole nih-KOHL
Danielle dan-YELL Otto AHT-toh
Earl URR-ull Paula PAHL-luh
Fiona fee-OH-nuh Richard RIH-churd
Gaston ga-STAWN Shary SHAHR-ee
Hermine her-MEEN Tobias toh-BEE-uss
Ian EE-an Virgine vir-JIN-ee
Julia JOO-lee-uh Walter WALL-tur
Karl KAR-ull
Two tropical cyclones have already formed this year, Hurricane Alex in January and Tropical Storm Bonnie in May. The next named storm that forms this season will be named Colin.
Each ocean basin has a separate set of names. For the Atlantic Ocean basin, names are decided upon by the World Meteorological Organization.