Has the name Gloria been retired?
Yes. Gloria is on NHC’s list of retired Atlantic names because of the 1985 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.
When will Gloria be used again?
It won’t be. Retired names are not used again on the Atlantic lists. Its place on the list, the G slot, now belongs to Grace, on the 2027 Atlantic list, which is next used in 2027.
Why was the storm named Gloria?
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 1985, Gloria was the 7th name used in the Atlantic season.
Gloria in other oceans
Storms named Gloria appear in more than one ocean in our archive:
- Southern Hemisphere: 2000
- West Pacific: 1996 and 1999
- Atlantic: 1985
Each ocean region keeps its own name lists, drawn up by its own WMO regional committee (Tropical cyclone naming), so the same name can be given to unrelated storms in different oceans.