The sixth-named storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season will be Fernand.
Fernand?
If you're thinking to pronounce it based on memories of that Ferdinand the bull story from childhood, think again, since you'd be wrong.
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When did the Fernand join the list of hurricane names and where does the name come from? Here are answers to your questions.
How do you not pronounce Fernand?
Don't start the first syllable with "fur." It's not FUR-nand.
Neither is it FER-nand.
How do you pronounce Fernand?
According to NOAA, the correct pronunciation is fair-NAHN, with the emphasis on the second syllable.
Is Fernand a new name for Atlantic hurricanes?
The World Meteorological Organization selected Fernand to replace the name Felix.
Felix made landfall as a Category 5 hurricane in Central America on Sept. 4, 2007.
When is a hurricane name retired?
The WMO retires hurricane names when a storm is particularly deadly or destructive, to avoid future confusion and out of sensitivity for the victims.
➤ How often has Florida been impacted, threatened by August hurricanes? We took a look back
For Atlantic hurricanes, there is a list of names for each of six years. One list is repeated every sixth year.
How many F hurricane names have been retired? No, we're not using profanity!
NOAA lists how many hurricanes starting with F have been retired:
Fiona: 2022
Florence: 2018
Felix: 2007
Frances: 2004
Fabian: 2003
Floyd: 1999
Fifi: 1974
Fran: 1996
Flora: 1963
How often has there been a Tropical Storm or Hurricane Fernand? Good news: None made landfall in Florida
Since Fernand joined the list of Atlantic hurricane names, it's been used twice. Both were tropical storms that made landfall in Mexico.
2013: Tropical Storm Fernand, Aug. 25-26, 2013, was a short-lived storm that formed in the Bay of Campeche and made landfall with 57-mph winds north-northwest of Veracruz, Mexico.
Heavy rain — estimated at 5 to 9 inches — caused flash flooding and landslides that took the lives of 14 people, according to NOAA.
2019: Tropical Storm Fernand, Sept. 3-5, 2019, was aother short-lived storm that also made landfall in Mexico. It formed in the Gulf east of Las Pesca, Mexico, before making landfall Sept. 4 north-northeast of La Pesca with estimated winds of 46 mph.
Fernand produced torrential rain, with 20.83 inches recorded in Monterrey, according to the National Hurricane Center. One person died from drowning.
2025: Still waiting! Historically, the sixth-named storm of the season forms Aug. 29, according to AccuWeather.
Who comes up with hurricane names?
The World Meteorological Organization maintains six lists of names to be used for tropical storms and hurricanes, along with a list of alternative names if all names are used during the hurricane season.
The lists are used on a rotating basis.
A name is retired only if a storm is "so deadly or costly that the future use of its name for a different storm would be inappropriate for reasons of sensitivity," according to NOAA.
At an annual meeting of the World Meteorological Organization, the offending name may be stricken from the list and another name is then selected to replace it.
Where does the name Fernand come from? Where is it popular?
According to thebump.com, Fernand is a boy's name of French origin and means brave traveler; daring, adventurous. Here's hoping a tropical storm or hurricane doesn't live up to that!
The name has a prominent role in Alexandre Dumas’ novel, "The Count of Monte Cristo."
When is the Atlantic hurricane season?
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30.
Ninety-seven percent of tropical cyclone activity occurs during this time period, NOAA said.
The Atlantic basin includes the northern Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of America, as the Gulf of Mexico is now known in the U.S. per an order from President Trump. NOAA and the National Hurricane Center use Gulf of America on their maps and in advisories.
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This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Tropical Storm or Hurricane Fernand? How to pronounce; past storms
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