Paloma is a retired Atlantic hurricane name. The World Meteorological Organization took it off the lists after the 2008 storm, so no future Atlantic storm will be called Paloma. Its place on the list now belongs to Paulette, on the 2026 list. It is the only storm named Paloma in our archive, which covers every ocean since 1980.
Yes. Paloma is on NHC’s list of retired Atlantic names because of the 2008 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.
It won’t be. Retired names are not used again on the Atlantic lists. Its place on the list, the P slot, now belongs to Paulette, on the 2026 Atlantic list, which is the list in use this year.
Paloma formed in the Atlantic in November 2008 and peaked as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph (230 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 944 mb. It made landfall near Santa Cruz del Sur, Cuba. The system was tracked for 9 days.
Hurricane Paloma (2008): track and history| Storm | Landfall near | Date (UTC) | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paloma 2008 | Santa Cruz del Sur, Cuba | 2008-11-09 01:00 | 100 mph / 155 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 2008, Paloma was the 16th name used in the Atlantic season.
The most recent was Hurricane Paloma in 2008, in the Atlantic. It formed on November 5, peaked at 145 mph (230 km/h) and lasted 9 days. It made landfall near Santa Cruz del Sur, Cuba. It was the 16th name used in that Atlantic season. It is the only storm named Paloma in our archive, which covers every ocean since 1980.