List of Atlantic storm names finished
For the first time in history, the list used for naming tropical storms in the Atlantic Ocean is at its end.
With the naming of Tropical Storm Wilma on Monday morning, the list of 21 names used this year was finished.
Wilma is gathering strength and is expected to become a hurricane this week, and could head towards the US Gulf Coast or Mexico by next week.
This means that the Greek alphabet will have to be used if there is another tropical storm, which would be called Alpha.
Retirement
There are six more weeks until the hurricane season ends on 30 November, and it is likely that there will be at least one other named storm.
The 2005 season has been one of the most active in history and has featured some of the fiercest and deadliest storms to hit the region.
Katrina and Stan probably will not be on the list of names in the future. Names are retired if the storms bearing them were especially deadly or costly and it would be insensitive to use them again.
The National Hurricane Centre has put together lists of hurricane names since 1953.
They are maintained and updated by a committee of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).
While only women’s names were used in the past, male and female names have alternated since 1979.
The WMO committee will convene and determine which names should be stricken and then find replacements.