Why only Charley will be retired this year

[EarthStormFire]

I just don't seem them retiring Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne this year. The storms where big, costly, and killed lots of people but it takes more than that to retire a storm. So in the end I doubt these names will get retired.

[JenyEliza]

I suspect that Ivan will also be retired--in addition to Charley, but I don't know about the rest.

Wouldn't it be very unusual to retire so many names in a single year? Then again....this has been a very unusual year.

Jeny

[senorpepr]

Well... Frances was already retired based on the WMO meeting before the season.

[EarthStormFire]

So it is true that France ask for Frances to be retired. I thought that was a joke.

[AussieMark]

let me see.

Isidore and Lili were retired in 2002

Frances which I have read costs of will be the cheaper one of the year out of the big 4.

was worse than Isidore and Lili combined.

I see all 4 retired. (Charley, Frances, Ivan, Jeanne)

back in 1955

Connie, Diane and Ione were retired from effects on the US. Janet was retired from effects on the Caribbean.

so the fact that they won't retire 4 storms in a year is not true. It has been done in the past.

1955 (Connie, Diane, Ione, Janet)
1995 (Luis, Marilyn, Opal, Roxanne)

there have been numerous years where 3 names were retired.

1964 (Cleo, Dora, Hilda)
1996 (Cesar, Fran, Hortense)
2001 (Allison, Iris, Michelle)
2003 (Fabian, Isabel, Juan)

[Stormsfury]

So it is true that France ask for Frances to be retired. I thought that was a joke.

It's no joke, and Frances is gone, irregardless ... However, Frances was severe enough as a hurricane to quantify retirement, and not to mention the exceptional tornado outbreak that ensued ... South Carolina's now "official" largest tornado outbreak in its history ...

In fact, EVERYONE is going to remember Hurricane Season 2004, and Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne will now all likely be retired (and in Frances' case, for the meteorological reason) ... the damage that it caused in Florida and the Southeast in general ... Although, Gaston wasn't an extraordinarily severe TC in regards to wind speed standards, it produced the most memorable flood in Richmond's history (but it will likely NOT be retired) ....

Ivan's effects clearly speak for itself, starting in the Caribbean, and up into Florida, Alabama, and Georgia ...

Jeanne ... 2,500 now feared dead in Haiti, extensive damage in Florida, yet again, into the Southeast, a lot of tornadoes, and what many haven't seen here, exceptional flooding in the Mid-Atlantic, and Southern New England ... many reports of 10" rainfalls, including the Philadelphia metropolis and exceptionally damaging ... and very far reaching effects ...

The WHOLE SEASON has been memorable ... and people across the US now those names by heart ... the talk still on in South Carolina and Charleston in general is about all the hurricanes, and how everyone "cannot remember a year as bad as this one" ... and they're right ...

SF

[PTPatrick]

People...they dont retire storms based soley on what they do to the US...the fact is Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne will ALL be retired

Charely...major cat 4 cane that his FL, did lots of damage

Frances...worst hurricane in the Bahamian history(for the whole group of islands)

Ivan...bad hurricane...will go down in history

Jeanne...hello! thousands of hatians dead? Not worth retiring a name?

[Guest]

thos are all guarantee retirees.... gaston i think may be up in the air. It was definitly a hurricane in my opinion, and it also caused catastrophic flooding.

[PTPatrick]

I just don't seem them retiring Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne this year. The storms where big, costly, and killed lots of people but it takes more than that to retire a storm. So in the end I doubt these names will get retired.

So if it takes more than billions of dollars in damamge, strength and ensuing death and desstruction to retire a name...then what pray tell is worthy of that? LOL...

[SouthernWx]

I just don't seem them retiring Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne this year. The storms where big, costly, and killed lots of people but it takes more than that to retire a storm. So in the end I doubt these names will get retired.

I can assure you that Ivan will retired, and I suspect Jeanne will as well.

In 1979, hurricane Frederic struck the same general area as Ivan....with the same intensity range (110-115 kt/ 946 mb). Only 5 died in the U.S., and Frederic only became a major hurricane once in the Gulf of Mexico. Ivan set records for most consecutive days as a major hurricane....and caused extensive destruction and death from Tobago to Jamaica to Grand Cayman to Cuba....before impacting the U.S. as the most destructive Gulf Coast hurricanes since Camille.

Hurricane Jeanne took over 2400 lives (and counting) in Haiti alone. That in itself is enough to warrant the name being retired....but the fact it continued to intensify and impacted the Bahamas and southern Florida as a destructive category 3 hurricane only adds to the likelyhood.

As others have stated, Frances was scheduled to be retired in any event after the season.

[yoda]

Will Gaston be retired?

[Scorpion]

No, I dont see the point. Storms kill people and cause destruction all the time. Only major canes that cause billions in damage and that kill dozens or more should be retired.

[AussieMark]

No, I dont see the point. Storms kill people and cause destruction all the time. Only major canes that cause billions in damage and that kill dozens or more should be retired.

Isidore and Lili should still be in use according to your analogy.

[bahamaswx]

People...they dont retire storms based soley on what they do to the US...the fact is Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne will ALL be retired

Charely...major cat 4 cane that his FL, did lots of damage

Frances...worst hurricane in the Bahamian history(for the whole group of islands)

Ivan...bad hurricane...will go down in history

Jeanne...hello! thousands of hatians dead? Not worth retiring a name?

Thank you.

[Derek Ortt]

Isidore was actually even more destructive for the Yucatan than was Gilbert.

Remember, as has been previously stated, it doesnt have to affect the US to be retired.

Cgarley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne are all gone, probably Gaston as well

I am still in favor of retiring the entire list, just so people will remember just how terrible this season has been

[Matthew5]

Charley needs to be near Andrew,1935 labar day hurricane...Charley is in a class much higher then Ivan,Frances,Jeanne...

Hey Derek, I was looking at those wind profile charts. That show Ivan was only had wind of 95 knot. Then I looked at Jeannes it shown 112 knot wind. So by this data Jeanne made landfall as a powerful cat3...With winds of 130 maybe even a little higher?

[Anonymous]

Matthew, I strongly disagree with putting Charley in a class with Andrew. No way, shape, or form. Charley's damage was bad, but not THAT bad. Comparing Charley to strongest (1935) and 3rd strongest (Andrew IMO) US landfalling hurricanes on record is giving it a bit much to credit imo.

Id put Ivan and Charley in the same level, and put Jeanne in a class below.

[Stratosphere747]

What people continue to forget about Charley was how small he was...Which limited the area of completed devastation...Frances,Ivan and Jeanne were such large storms their effect was more evident...

Charley was MUCH more powerful than the other three at landfall but thankfully had much less windfield than the others...

[weatherlover427]

Jeanne should definitely be retired. 2500 people killed in one country alone is enough cause for retirement IMHO. Who cares where the country is or what it is like in that country? That is a massive amount of people killed by one hurricane in one country. Not to mention everything it did in the U.S. ... .

[Derek Ortt]

yes, matt, those charts are consistent with the observations on the coast. It does appear that Jeanne was about a full category more intense than was Ivan