Hurricane names are curated following specific guidelines set by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Notably, certain letters of the alphabet are excluded from this naming process. The letters that are generally not used for hurricane names are:
- Q
- U
- X
- Y
- Z
Each letter is avoided primarily because there are not enough names starting with these letters to create a robust list of unique names. For example, while many common names begin with letters like A, B, and C, there are far fewer options for names beginning with Q or X. This helps ensure that hurricanes can be named efficiently during the storm season. Moreover, the avoidance of these letters helps to prevent the confusion that could arise if similar-sounding hurricane names were used in close succession.