With the arrival of the hurricane season, I couldn't help but wonder if this is the year for Hurricane Zane.

The sad fact is, as I just discovered, there never has been nor ever will be a Hurricane Zane, because the names of hurricanes stop with the letter 'W'.  Who knew? Hurricane Zane has such a great ring to it, but it's never going to happen. If your name begins with the letter Q, U, X, Y, or Z, you are in the same boat. I'm sorry to say you are never going to be a hurricane.

According to the Farmers Almanac, hurricane names are recycled every six years, and names of especially large and damaging storms are retired and taken out of circulation. When a tropical storm reaches sustained winds of more than 39 miles per hour it gets a name. As a storm gains strength and becomes a hurricane it keeps the name. For example, Tropical Storm Zane would become Hurricane Zane once sustained winds became 74 miles per hour or higher.

Here is a list of some of the hurricane names that have been retired. there are many more, but these are the most common names on the list. See if your name is on the list of retired hurricane names.

Carol, Edna, Hazel, Connie, Diane, Janet, Audrey, Donna, Carla, Betsy, Camille, Carmen, Anita, David, Allen, Gloria, Joan, Alicia, Diana, Andrew, Marilyn,  Roxanne, Mitch, Floyd, Keith, Allison, Michelle, Juan, Charley, Jeanne, Dennis, Katrina, Rita, Stan, Dean, Sandy, Mathew, Erika, Harvey, Maria, Nate, Michael.

If your name is on the list, you've already done all the damage you can do. If not, maybe this will be your year. The Atlantic hurricane season officially begins June 1, so let's take a look at this year's list of hurricane names and see if you made the list.

Arthur
Bertha
Cristobal
Dolly
Edouard
Fay
Gonzalo
Hanna
Isaias
Josephine
Kyle
Laura
Marco
Nana
Omar
Paulette
Rene
Sally
Teddy
Vicky
Wilfred

Those are the names you will be seeing in the news during the coming months. Only time will tell if any of these storms will reach historic proportions and have their names retired to the archives of the hurricane hall of fame. if your name isn't on this year's list or the list of retired hurricane names, you still have hope.

Kool 107.9 logo
Enter your number to get our free mobile app

KEEP READING: Get answers to 51 of the most frequently asked weather questions...

More From Kool 107.9