Hurricane names are used every six years, and they're picked by the World Meteorological Organization.
Storm names like Katrina and Helene, however, will never be used again. Names get retired once they've done extensive damage or caused multiple fatalities.
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Storms named 'Erin' have not done so in the past, which is why that name is still being used. There is one 'Erin' that lives on in meteorological infamy.
Hurricane Erin on 9/11
That's because it was the storm that was off the coast of New England during the 9/11 attacks.
Below is the archived satellite imagery from NASA that shows the storm well east of New York, Pennsylvania and Washington D.C.
Hurricanes/tropical storms can be split up into four quadrants. The east side is sometimes called the "dirty side" of a storm. This is where air rises and spins, favoring rain, storm surge, flooding, tornadoes, wind, etc.
The west side is sometimes thought of as the "cleaner" side of a storm. There's subsidence here, which means the air is sinking and drying out.
In the case of September 11, 2001, you might remember the eerily clear and blue sky.
The current 'Erin' and the next storm names
Even though the current 'Erin' is nearly 3,000 miles away from U.S. soil as of this posting, we are providing updates on its path.
As for the names that are next on the list, those are shown below. We are forecasting 13 to 15 named storms this Atlantic hurricane season, which would take us through Melissa, Nestor and Olga.
Have questions about the weather and how it works?
Send me an email with the subject line 'Ask the Meteorologist:' to cmichaels@jshu.net.