Kenna is a retired Pacific hurricane name. The World Meteorological Organization took it off the lists after the 2002 storm, so no future storm in the eastern or central Pacific will be called Kenna. Its place on the list now belongs to Karina, on the 2026 list. Since 1984, three storms have been named Kenna; the strongest, in 2002, peaked as a Category 5 hurricane.
Yes. Kenna is on NHC’s list of retired eastern and central Pacific names because of the 2002 storm. It is one of 22 names retired there since 1965 (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 eastern and central Pacific lists. Its place on the list, the K slot, now belongs to Karina, on the 2026 East Pacific list, which is the list in use this year.
Kenna formed in the East Pacific in October 2002 and peaked as a Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 165 mph (270 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 913 mb. It made landfall near Villa Hidalgo, Mexico. The system was tracked for 4 days.
Hurricane Kenna (2002): track and historyKenna formed in the East Pacific in August 1990 and peaked as a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (140 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 980 mb. It did not make landfall. The system was tracked for 9 days.
Hurricane Kenna (1990): track and historyKenna formed in the East Pacific in August 1984 and peaked as a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (95 km/h). It did not make landfall. The system was tracked for 5 days.
Tropical Storm Kenna (1984): track and history| Storm | Landfall near | Date (UTC) | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenna 2002 | Villa Hidalgo, Mexico | 2002-10-25 16:30 | 140 mph / 220 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 2002, 1990 and 1984, Kenna was the 11th name used in the East Pacific season.
The most recent was Hurricane Kenna in 2002, in the East Pacific. It formed on October 22, peaked at 165 mph (270 km/h) and lasted 4 days. It made landfall near Villa Hidalgo, Mexico. It was the 11th name used in that East Pacific season. Before that, the name was used in 1990 and 1984.
Hurricane Kenna in 2002 was the strongest, peaking as a Category 5 hurricane with winds of 165 mph (270 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 913 mb. It formed in the East Pacific in October and made landfall near Villa Hidalgo, Mexico. The weakest of the three, in 1984, peaked at 60 mph (95 km/h).