Tropical cyclones can come back from the dead

Tropical systems can come back from the dead, but they don’t get the next name on the list. They keep the name they had before they fizzled out. 

When a tropical cyclone in the Atlantic becomes post-tropical, its inner core isn’t warm anymore, but it may still have a well-defined circulation. That’s pretty common for ones that move into the North Atlantic. In fact, the disturbance can stay quite strong even after transitioning.

That means we can track the storm’s circulation this entire time, so when it regains strength and organizes, it receives the same name as before.

Basins make things complicated

There is an exception to this naming rule. If a tropical cyclone in the Pacific Ocean dissipates and then re-emerges in the Atlantic Ocean (or vice versa), it doesn’t keep its name. But, if it can survive going from one basin to another, it’ll keep its name, as Otto did in 2016.

The 2020 season alone had two cases of tropical remains crossing from one basin to another. In June, the remains of Amanda in the Pacific became Cristobal in the Atlantic. In August, the leftover swirl of the Atlantic’s Nana developed into the Pacific’s Julio.

What systems have come back to life

The very recent Tammy made a comeback early on Oct. 27 after fizzling out near Bermuda. It originally formed in the central Atlantic and brought heavy rain and flooding to the Leeward Islands before tracking north and dissipating on Oct. 26.

In 2020, the system originally called Paulette continued to speed to the northeast through the North Atlantic as a post-tropical low pressure system. It then veered south and slid past the Azores into the open waters of the east-central Atlantic. Paulette returned after a week of meandering in the ocean, in which three storms formed between the time it fizzled out and came back.

Other storms that returned from the dead include Beryl in 2018, Nadine in 2012 and Ivan in 2004.

Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.