Allen is a retired Atlantic hurricane name. The World Meteorological Organization took it off the lists after the 1980 storm, so no future Atlantic storm will be called Allen. Its place on the list now belongs to Alex, on the 2028 list. It is the only storm named Allen in our archive, which covers every ocean since 1980.
Yes. Allen is on NHC’s list of retired Atlantic names because of the 1980 storm. It is one of 100 names retired there since 1954 (Tropical Cyclone Naming History and Retired Names).
A name is retired when a storm was so deadly or costly that using the name again would be insensitive; the World Meteorological Organization then picks a new name with the same first letter at its annual meeting.
It won’t be. Retired names are not used again on the Atlantic lists. Its place on the list, the A slot, now belongs to Alex, on the 2028 Atlantic list, which is next used in 2028.
Allen formed in the Atlantic in July 1980 and peaked as a Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 190 mph (305 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 899 mb. It made landfall near Raymondville, United States. The system was tracked for 11 days.
Hurricane Allen (1980): track and history| Storm | Landfall near | Date (UTC) | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allen 1980 | Raymondville, United States | 1980-08-10 09:00 | 105 mph / 170 km/h |
Names go in alphabetical order, one per storm, as each storm reaches tropical-storm strength (39 mph, 34 knots), so a storm’s place in its season decides its name.
In 1980, Allen was the 1st name used in the Atlantic season.
The most recent was Hurricane Allen in 1980, in the Atlantic. It formed on July 31, peaked at 190 mph (305 km/h) and lasted 11 days. It made landfall near Raymondville, United States. It was the 1st name used in that Atlantic season. It is the only storm named Allen in our archive, which covers every ocean since 1980.