Lala to Moke: How Hawaii’s tropical storms get their unique names

News admin August 23, 2026 0 Comments

Lala to Moke: How Hawaii’s tropical storms get their unique names

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – As Hawaii residents keep a watchful eye on Tropical Storm Moke just days after Hurricane Lala brought torrential flooding to the islands, many are asking: Who decides what these storms are called, and where do the names come from?

Unlike the Atlantic or Eastern Pacific basins, which recycle a set of six alphabetical lists every six years, the Central Pacific basin—the region surrounding the Hawaiian islands—operates on a distinct, culturally rooted system.

Here is how the naming process works for storms that form near Hawaii, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The Hawaiian Alphabet and the Central Pacific Lists

The Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC), based in Honolulu, is responsible for naming tropical cyclones that form in the central North Pacific (between 140 degrees west and the International Date Line).

To honor the host culture, the CPHC uses a pre-designated system of traditional Hawaiian names. There are four distinct lists of 12 names each, which were originally developed in partnership with Hawaiian language and cultural experts.

Unlike other basins, the Central Pacific lists do not reset at the end of each calendar year. Instead, they are used sequentially.

When a tropical storm forms in the Central Pacific, it takes the very next name on the active list. When the bottom of List 1 is reached, meteorologists immediately move to the top of List 2. For instance, the transition from Lala (the 6th name on List 1) to Moke (the 7th name on List 1) happened consecutively this August.

List 1	List 2	List 3	List 4
Akoni Ema Hone Iona Keli Lala Moke Nolo Olana Pena Ulana Wale	Aka Ekeka Hene Iolana Keoni Lino Mele Nona Oliwa Pama Upana Wene	Alika Ele Huko Iopa Kika Lana Maka Neki Omeka Pewa Unala Wali	Ana Ela Halola Iune Kilo Loke Malia Niala Oho Pali Ulika Walaka

Once “Wale” is used, the system will restart at the top of List 2 with Aka.

What Happens to Retired Names?

Under strict WMO guidelines, if a storm is particularly deadly or costly, using its name again in the future would be insensitive to survivors.

When a storm is retired, the CPHC strikes the name from the rotating lists at the annual meeting of the WMO Hurricane Committee and selects a new Hawaiian name to replace it.

Crossing the Line: When a Storm Changes Names

Occasionally, a storm will cross from one ocean boundary to another. If a tropical storm forms in the Eastern Pacific (east of 140 degrees west) and carries a name from that region’s alphabetical list (such as “Iselle”), it keeps its name when it enters the Central Pacific.

However, if a depression only develops into a named tropical storm after crossing the boundary into Hawaii’s jurisdiction, it is christened with the next available name on the Hawaiian list.