Devastation hours after Super Typhoon Pepito makes landfall in Panganiban, Catanduanes, on November 16, 2024. Panganiban LGU 

MANILA (UPDATED) -- Eight tropical cyclone names from 2024 have been decommissioned due to the extensive damage to agriculture, infrastructure, and life, state weather bureau PAGASA said in a press release Wednesday.

The names Aghon, Enteng, Julian, Kristine, Leon, Nika, Ofel, and Pepito will be removed from the list of storm names that are rotated every four years, as originally announced by PAGASA Administrator Nathaniel Servando on February 17 during the UN ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee 57th Session in Pasay City.

This marked the most number of tropical cyclones decommissioned in a year since the present storm naming scheme began in 2001.

The retired names will be replaced with the names Amuyao, Edring, Josefa, Kidul, Lekep, Nanolay, Onos, and Puwok, respectively, beginning 2028.

From Kristine to Pepito: 6 cyclones batter PH one after another 

Amuyao is a mountain in Mountain Province while Edring and Josefa are common Filipino names. 

Kidul is the Kalinga god of thunder, Lekep is the Maranao word for fog, Nanolay is the Gaddang creator and culture hero, Onos is the Bikol god of storms and deluge, and Puwok is the Ifugao deity of typhoons.

Tropical cyclone names are retired if the passage directly resulted to at least 300 deaths or at least P1 billion worth of damage to houses, agriculture, and infrastructure, based on official reports from the Office of Civil Defense.

Super Typhoon Carina will not be retired as it did not directly impact any part of the Philippine landmass. Its enhancement of the southwest monsoon or Habagat however caused massive flooding in Central and Southern Luzon, including Metro Manila in July 2024, leading to 40 deaths and more than P10 billion damage.

In the case of Nika, Ofel, and Pepito, PAGASA said the compounding impacts of these successive typhoons in Northern Luzon in November last year resulted in more than P3.7 billion damage and 14 reported deaths.

Streets turn into rivers as Typhoon Carina hits Philippines 

Between 2001 and 2023, approximately 2 names get struck off the storm list annually, but no names were decommissioned in 2002, 2005, and 2007.

Storm names have a higher chance of getting retired due to the extent of damage than fatalities. After Yolanda in 2013, the only other typhoon that caused more than 300 deaths was Odette in 2021.

Scientists continue to warn that the warming planet makes tropical cyclones more intense and wetter. For the first time in history, the annual average surface temperature on earth in 2024 exceeded 1.5°C relative to the Industrial Revolution period from 1850 to 1900.

In 2024, out of the 17 tropical cyclones that entered or formed inside the Philippine area of responsibility, 6 reached super typhoon strength, according to PAGASA: Carina, Enteng, Julian, Leon, Ofel, and Pepito.