Cesar is a retired Atlantic hurricane name. The World Meteorological Organization took it off the lists after the 1996 storm, so no future Atlantic storm will be called Cesar. Its place on the list now belongs to Cristobal, on the 2026 list. Since 1984, three storms have been named Cesar; the strongest, in 1996, peaked as a Category 1 hurricane.
Yes. Cesar is on NHC’s list of retired Atlantic names because of the 1996 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 C slot, now belongs to Cristobal, on the 2026 Atlantic list, which is the list in use this year.
Cesar formed in the Atlantic in July 1996 and peaked as a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (140 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 985 mb. It made landfall near Bluefields, Nicaragua. The system was tracked for 4 days.
Hurricane Cesar (1996): track and historyCesar formed in the Atlantic in July 1990 and peaked as a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 1000 mb. It did not make landfall. The system was tracked for 8 days.
Tropical Storm Cesar (1990): track and historyCesar formed in the Atlantic in August 1984 and peaked as a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (95 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 989 mb. It did not make landfall. The system was tracked for 3 days.
Tropical Storm Cesar (1984): track and history| Storm | Landfall near | Date (UTC) | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cesar 1996 | Bluefields, Nicaragua | 1996-07-28 04:00 | 85 mph / 140 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 each of 1996, 1990 and 1984, Cesar was the 3rd name used in the Atlantic season.
The most recent was Hurricane Cesar in 1996, in the Atlantic. It formed on July 24, peaked at 85 mph (140 km/h) and lasted 4 days. It made landfall near Bluefields, Nicaragua. It was the 3rd name used in that Atlantic season. Before that, the name was used in 1990 and 1984.
Hurricane Cesar in 1996 was the strongest, peaking as a Category 1 hurricane with winds of 85 mph (140 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 985 mb. It formed in the Atlantic in July and made landfall near Bluefields, Nicaragua. The weakest of the three, in 1990, peaked at 50 mph (85 km/h).