PANAMA (WTXL) — Two names on the 2023 tropical cyclone naming list will be removed by the World Meteorological Organization, but one of them is not Idalia.
The WMO has deemed Otis and Dora — two powerful eastern Pacific hurricanes of 2023 — worthy of name retirement because of their magnitude of destruction and death in impacted regions.
Otis rapidly became a Category 5hurricane which slammed into the Mexico resort city of Acapulco in October 2023. Dora is responsible for producing a strong wind pattern that contributed to the quick spread of a wildfire on the Hawaiian island of Maui in August of last year.
Hurricane Idalia was a category 4 hurricane when it made landfall at Keaton Beach in late August.
WATCH THE MOMENT IDALIA MADE LANDFALL IN AUGUST OF 2023:
Peak wind gusts inland equated to a category 3 based on post-storm analysis from the National Hurricane Center. While local damage was significant in affected areas of the Big Bend, the number of storm-connected deaths was low.
The name Idalia will return when the tropical storm name list from 2023 is reused in 2029.
Like other recycled names of local significance — think Kate and Hermine — there is no guarantee that another Idalia would create a repeat of the effects it caused in our area when the name reappears five years from now.
The two retired Pacific storm names will be replaced with Otilio and Debora.