Beta is a Greek letter. It was used in 2005 and 2020, after the 21 regular Atlantic names had run out. In March 2021 the World Meteorological Organization decided the Greek alphabet will not be used in future; a supplemental list of names is used instead. Since 2005, two storms have been named Beta; the strongest, in 2005, peaked as a Category 3 hurricane.
It won’t be. In March 2021 the WMO Hurricane Committee decided the Greek alphabet will not be used in future, because it distracted from warnings and some letters (Zeta, Eta, Theta) sound alike (WMO Hurricane Committee retires tropical cyclone names and ends the use of Greek alphabet). When the 21 regular Atlantic names run out, storms now take names from a supplemental list approved by the WMO, which starts Adria, Braylen, Caridad (Tropical Cyclone Naming History and Retired Names).
Beta formed in the Atlantic in September 2020 and peaked as a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (100 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 993 mb. It made landfall near Port Lavaca, United States. The system was tracked for 8 days.
Tropical Storm Beta (2020): track and historyBeta formed in the Atlantic in October 2005 and peaked as a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph (185 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 962 mb. It made landfall near Pearl City, Nicaragua. The system was tracked for 4 days.
Hurricane Beta (2005): track and history| Storm | Landfall near | Date (UTC) | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beta 2020 | Port Lavaca, United States | 2020-09-22 02:45 | 50 mph / 85 km/h |
| Beta 2005 | Pearl City, Nicaragua | 2005-10-30 12:00 | 105 mph / 165 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 both 2020 and 2005, Beta was the 23rd name used in the Atlantic season, after all 21 regular names.
In 2005 (Alpha to Zeta) and 2020 (Alpha to Iota), the regular list ran out and later storms took Greek letters in order.
The most recent was Tropical Storm Beta in 2020, in the Atlantic. It formed on September 17, peaked at 65 mph (100 km/h) and lasted 8 days. It made landfall near Port Lavaca, United States. It was the 23rd name used in that Atlantic season. Before that, the name was used in 2005.
Hurricane Beta in 2005 was the strongest, peaking as a Category 3 hurricane with winds of 115 mph (185 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 962 mb. It formed in the Atlantic in October and made landfall near Pearl City, Nicaragua. The weakest of the two, in 2020, peaked at 65 mph (100 km/h).