Betsy is a retired Atlantic hurricane name. The World Meteorological Organization took it off the lists after the 1965 storm, so no future Atlantic storm will be called Betsy. Since 1981, two storms have been named Betsy; the strongest, in 1992, peaked as a Category 2 cyclone.
Yes. Betsy is on NHC’s list of retired Atlantic names because of the 1965 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.
Betsy formed in the Southern Hemisphere in January 1992 and peaked as a Category 2 cyclone with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph (175 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 940 mb. The system was tracked for 14 days.
Cyclone Betsy (1992): track and historyBetsy formed in the Southern Hemisphere in January 1981 and peaked as a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 990 mb. It did not make landfall. The system was tracked for 5 days.
Tropical Storm Betsy (1981): track and history| Storm | Landfall near | Date (UTC) | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|
| Betsy 1992 | 16.6°S 167.5°E | 1992-01-09 03:00 | 105 mph / 170 km/h |
The most recent was Cyclone Betsy in 1992, in the Southern Hemisphere. It formed on January 4, peaked at 110 mph (175 km/h) and lasted 14 days. It did not make landfall. Before that, the name was used in 1981.
Cyclone Betsy in 1992 was the strongest, peaking as a Category 2 cyclone with winds of 110 mph (175 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 940 mb. It formed in the Southern Hemisphere in January. The weakest of the two, in 1981, peaked at 50 mph (85 km/h).