Karen is the 11th name on the 2031 list of Atlantic hurricane names, so it is next scheduled for 2031. It is used that year only if the season reaches the letter K. Since 1989, seven storms have been named Karen; the strongest, in 2001, peaked as a Category 1 hurricane.
No. Karen is on the 2031 list of Atlantic names, and it is not among the 100 names NHC lists as retired from the Atlantic (Tropical Cyclone Naming History and Retired Names).
Karen is next scheduled for 2031, when the 2031 list is used. The six lists rotate, so each one returns every six years.
A name on the list is used only if the season gets that far. Karen is name 11 of 21, and 34 of the 46 Atlantic seasons from 1980 to 2025 got that far.
Karen formed in the Atlantic in October 2025 and peaked as a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 996 mb. It did not make landfall. The system was tracked for 4 days.
Tropical Storm Karen (2025): track and historyKaren formed in the Atlantic in September 2019 and peaked as a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 1003 mb. It made 2 landfalls, first near Isabel Segunda, Puerto Rico and last near Isabel Segunda, Puerto Rico. The system was tracked for 6 days.
Tropical Storm Karen (2019): track and historyKaren formed in the Atlantic in October 2013 and peaked as a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (100 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 998 mb. It did not make landfall. The system was tracked for 3 days.
Tropical Storm Karen (2013): track and historyKaren formed in the Atlantic in September 2007 and peaked as a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 988 mb. It did not make landfall. The system was tracked for 5 days.
Hurricane Karen (2007): track and historyKaren formed in the Atlantic in October 2001 and peaked as a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph (130 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 982 mb. It made landfall near Bridgewater, Canada. The system was tracked for 5 days.
Hurricane Karen (2001): track and historyKaren formed in the Atlantic in August 1995 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 Karen (1995): track and historyKaren formed in the Atlantic in November 1989 and peaked as a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (95 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 1000 mb. It did not make landfall. The system was tracked for 6 days.
Tropical Storm Karen (1989): track and history| Storm | Landfall near | Date (UTC) | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|
| Karen 2019 | Isabel Segunda, Puerto Rico | 2019-09-24 22:00 | 45 mph / 75 km/h |
| Karen 2019 | Isabel Segunda, Puerto Rico | 2019-09-24 23:00 | 45 mph / 75 km/h |
| Karen 2001 | Bridgewater, Canada | 2001-10-15 12:00 | 45 mph / 75 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 2025, 2019, 2013, 2007, 2001, 1995 and 1989, Karen was the 11th name used in the Atlantic season.
The most recent was Tropical Storm Karen in 2025, in the Atlantic. It formed on October 8, peaked at 45 mph (75 km/h) and lasted 4 days. It did not make landfall. It was the 11th name used in that Atlantic season. Before that, the name was used in 2019, 2013, 2007, 2001, 1995 and 1989.
Hurricane Karen in 2001 was the strongest, peaking as a Category 1 hurricane with winds of 80 mph (130 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 982 mb. It formed in the Atlantic in October and made landfall near Bridgewater, Canada. The weakest of the seven, in 2025, peaked at 45 mph (75 km/h).