Kay is the 11th name on the 2028 list of East Pacific hurricane names, so it is next scheduled for 2028. It is used that year only if the season reaches the letter K. Since 1980, eight storms have been named Kay; the strongest, in 1980, peaked as a Category 4 hurricane.
No. Kay is on the 2028 list of East Pacific names, and it is not among the 22 names NHC lists as retired from the eastern and central Pacific (Tropical Cyclone Naming History and Retired Names).
Kay is next scheduled for 2028, when the 2028 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. Kay is name 11 of 24, and 42 of the 46 East Pacific seasons from 1980 to 2025 got that far.
Kay formed in the East Pacific in September 2022 and peaked as a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph (155 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 968 mb. It made landfall near Guerrero Negro, Mexico. The system was tracked for 9 days.
Hurricane Kay (2022): track and historyKay formed in the East Pacific in August 2016 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 9 days.
Tropical Storm Kay (2016): track and historyKay formed in the East Pacific in October 2004 and peaked as a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 1004 mb. It did not make landfall. The system was tracked for 3 days.
Tropical Storm Kay (2004): track and historyKay formed in the East Pacific in October 1998 and peaked as a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 987 mb. It did not make landfall. The system was tracked for 6 days.
Hurricane Kay (1998): track and historyKay formed in the East Pacific in August 1992 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 5 days.
Tropical Storm Kay (1992): track and historyKay formed in the Southern Hemisphere in April 1987 and peaked as a Category 1 cyclone with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 976 mb. The system was tracked for 11 days.
Cyclone Kay (1987): track and historyKay formed in the East Pacific in August 1986 and peaked as a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 km/h). It did not make landfall. The system was tracked for 6 days.
Tropical Storm Kay (1986): track and historyKay formed in the East Pacific in September 1980 and peaked as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph (220 km/h). It did not make landfall. The system was tracked for 14 days.
Hurricane Kay (1980): track and history| Storm | Landfall near | Date (UTC) | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kay 2022 | Guerrero Negro, Mexico | 2022-09-08 20:35 | 70 mph / 110 km/h |
| Kay 1987 | 9.2°S 141.6°E | 1987-04-07 06:00 | 35 mph / 55 km/h |
| Kay 1987 | 11.2°S 132.0°E | 1987-04-10 03:00 | 50 mph / 85 km/h |
| Kay 1987 | 11.4°S 131.1°E | 1987-04-10 09:00 | 50 mph / 85 km/h |
| Kay 1987 | 11.4°S 130.3°E | 1987-04-10 15:00 | 50 mph / 85 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 2022, 2016, 2004, 1998, 1992, 1986 and 1980, Kay was the 11th name used in the East Pacific season.
Storms named Kay appear in more than one ocean in our archive:
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.
The most recent was Hurricane Kay in 2022, in the East Pacific. It formed on September 4, peaked at 100 mph (155 km/h) and lasted 9 days. It made landfall near Guerrero Negro, Mexico. It was the 11th name used in that East Pacific season. Before that, the name was used in 2016, 2004, 1998, 1992, 1987, 1986 and 1980.
Hurricane Kay in 1980 was the strongest, peaking as a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 140 mph (220 km/h). It formed in the East Pacific in September. The weakest of the eight, in 2004, peaked at 45 mph (75 km/h).