Has the name Melissa been retired?
Yes. Melissa is on NHC’s list of retired Atlantic names because of the 2025 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 Melissa be used again?
It won’t be. Retired names are not used again on the Atlantic lists. Its place on the list, the M slot, now belongs to Molly, on the 2031 Atlantic list, which is next used in 2031.
Why was the storm named Melissa?
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 and 2007, Melissa was the 13th name used in the Atlantic season.
Melissa in other oceans
Storms named Melissa appear in more than one ocean in our archive:
- Atlantic: 2007, 2013, 2019 and 2025
- West Pacific: 1994
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.