Hurricane Ian is barreling toward Florida on a path that could see it slam the Tampa Bay area as a category 4 storm by mid-week, blasting coastal areas with up to 8-foot storm surges and havoc-wreaking winds, forecasters say.
Preparations are underway and some mandatory evacuations have been ordered (track Ian here). As Florida braces, some who closely monitor the Atlantic hurricane season may notice a trend. Why are I-named storms so bad?
It's probably not the letter itself, but the stats are legit. As of 2022, 12 named storms that start with the letter I have been retired, more than any other letter by at least three storms.
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WATCH HEREIda (2021) and Irene (2011) should bring back stark memories for the tri-state area, especially those who live in hard-hit parts of Queens and Long Island. Ika, Ingrid and Irma likely evoke intense memories for some, too.
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SIGN UP Which letter has seen no retired hurricane names? So far, no Atlantic season hurricane that starts with V has ever been retired. P (Paloma), T (Tomas) and W (Wilma) have each seen one name retired.
After I, C and F are the letters that have seen the most hurricane names retired. Each has seen nine storm names retired since 1954 (Carol, Connie, Carla, Cleo, Camille, Celia, Carmen, Cesar, Charley) and 1963 (Flora, Fifi, Frederic, Fran, Floyd, Fabian, Frances, Felix, Florence), respectively.
