Most named storms in a single year (Atlantic)

Storm events are grouped into four broad categories based on their wind speed: easterly wave, tropical depression, tropical storm and, depending on the location, the most extreme examples are known as hurricanes (Atlantic/East Pacific), typhoons (West Pacific) or cyclones (Indian Ocean/around Australia). Storms are given a name once they reach the status of tropical storm, i.e., sustained winds of 34 knots (63 km/h; 39 mph) or higher – a convention that arose in the 1950s in order to simplify communication and to make it easier for the public to understand weather warnings. The most named storms to occur in a single calendar year in the Atlantic Basin is 30, recorded in 2020. The first named storm of the year was Tropical Storm Arthur (16–19 May) and the last was Major Hurricane Iota (13–18 Nov).

Of these 30 named storms, 14 developed into hurricanes or major hurricanes. This is one short of the record for most Atlantic hurricanes in a year, with 2005 logging 15. The year 2005 comes in second place for the total number of named storms, with 28.

The most named storms to occur in a single calendar year in the Pacific is 39, recorded in the West Pacific Basin in 1964; of these, 26 developed into typhoons (also an annual record).

It's worth noting that prior to the proliferation of geostationary weather satellites in the 1960s–80s, many tropical cyclones out at sea would not have been documented.

The letters Q, U, X, Y, Z are generally not used owing to a lack of names that start with those letters. If the number of storms in a year exceeds 21, the modern practice is to start naming storms after letters of the Greek alphabet. Initially, all storms were given female names (perhaps following maritime tradition), but after this convention came under fire for reinforcing sexist stereotypes, the World Meteorological Organization revised this policy in 1979 and began to alternate between male and female names.