Buck wrote:Ryxn wrote:Alyono wrote:
Otto was retired likely because it was one of the few canes to hit Costa Rica. Nate's impact on Central America is about the same as was Gert's back in 1993. No retirement then, and likely none now. We cannot be retiring every name that causes a few hundred million in damage or kills a few dozen
Wow didn't know about Otto's case. Thanks for the clarity. Now I agree, don't think it quite stacks up.
Agreed re: Otto. However, it is really up to the perception of individual countries. Costa Rica and Panama rarely get directly impacted, so Otto was a landmark storm in that regard, but also killed quite a few people and caused some damage in the area. Nate is responsible for the deaths of more people in Costa Rica, nearly as many in Panama, much more in Nicaragua and others in other Central American countries. So if those countries perceive Nate as they did Otto, they will request retirement. I suspect they will.
Otto was also a category 3 hurricane, and they seem to be more conservative about retiring storms that didn't reach major status (not only at the landfall).
Apparently, Costa Rica retired Alma (2008), but there's also the new proposal from BCT about retirement of TS and Cat 1 storms, and Nate didn't directly hit Costa Rica. That's a similar case to Erika, which led those islands to complain.
I think Nate will be retired, but it's not close to be a sure thing.
Here are the TS and Cat 1 storms retired:
Agnes 1972 (US);
Klaus 1990 (France);
Ismael 1995 (Mexico);
Cesar 1996 (Costa Rica);
Allison 2001 (US);
Stan 2005 (Mexico, Central America);
Noel 2007 (France, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Cuba);
Alma 2008 (Costa Rica, Nicaragua);
Ingrid and Manuel 2013 (Mexico);
Erika 2015 (Dominica).