Beryl retired as hurricane name because it was so deadly and destructive

Hurricane Beryl was so devastating that "Beryl" will no longer be used as a name for tropical cyclones. The World Meteorological Organization announced Wednesday that Beryl, the name of the deadly storm that ravaged the Caribbean before passing almost directly over Houston on July 8, is being retired as a name for Atlantic hurricanes. The organization commonly retires names of tropical cyclones that are "deadly and destructive," it said in a news release that revealed the names Helene and Milton also will no longer be used.

Storms are named to help communicate warnings and alert people about potentially life-threatening risks. The names are repeated every six years – unless they are retired, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), an agency of the United Nations. Beryl caused widespread flooding and power outages in the Houston area , where about 2.



2 million residents and businesses lost electricity, in addition to contributing to more than 40 deaths in the region . It was a Category 1 hurricane when it made landfall along the Gulf Coast in Matagorda County. The storm previously was the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record in the Atlantic basin.

It made landfall as a Category 4 storm in Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique, where nearly 98% of homes were damaged or destroyed, according to the WMO. Beryl also impacted Jamaica and Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. On the running list of Atlantic hurricane names, Beryl is being replaced by Brianna, while Helene and Milton are being replaced by Holly and Miguel, respectively.

The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season saw 18 named storms, 11 of which were hurricanes..