WMO retires Ingrid and Manuel for Atlantic and eastern North Pacific basins

The World Meteorological Organization's (WMO) hurricane committee announced today it will no longer use the name Ingrid for future tropical storms or hurricanes in the Atlantic, and the name Manuel in the eastern North Pacific, because of the death and destruction both storms caused in Mexico in September 2013.

The WMO will replace Ingrid with "Imelda" and Manuel with "Mario" when the 2013 lists are reused in 2019.

In September 2013, Ingrid was a category one hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale over the southwestern Gulf of Mexico. It made landfall as a tropical storm in northeastern Mexico. Simultaneously, Manual developed over the eastern North Pacific and made landfall as a tropical storm on the southern coast of Mexico. It then reformed in the Gulf of California and made a 2nd landfall in Mexico as a category one hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale hurricane.

Ingrid and Manuel collectively caused significant damage and casualties in Mexico, primarily from widespread heavy rains and flooding. Ingrid caused 32 deaths, primarily in eastern Mexico. Manuel resulted in at least 123 deaths, primarily in western Mexico.

Manuel was the 1st eastern North Pacific tropical storm since records began in 1949 to make landfall in mainland Mexico, redevelop over water, and go on to become a hurricane. The eastern North Pacific basin extends from the west coast of North and Central America westward approximately 1,000 miles east of the island of Hawaii.

The WMO reuses storm names every 6 years for both the Atlantic and eastern North Pacific basins, unless retired because the storm is so deadly or costly that the future use of the name would be insensitive.

Manuel is the 11th name ever to be removed from the eastern North Pacific list and the 1st since "Alma" in 2008. In comparison, Ingrid is the 78th name to be retired from the Atlantic list.

NOAA's National Hurricane Center is responsible for issuing tropical cyclone forecasts and warnings for both the Atlantic and eastern North Pacific basins.

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