Weather Organization Retires "Sandy" from Atlantic Tropical Storm Names

For Sachem area residents, there has never been a storm like Hurricane Sandy – and there never will be again.

The World Meteorological Organization officially retired the name "Sandy" for use in the Atlantic Ocean basin following the huge swath of destruction the storm left in October 2012 from Jamaica and Cuba to New York and New Jersey, according to an announcement from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Storm names are often reused every six years for both the Atlantic and North Pacific basins. Storms that are considered so deadly or costly that future use would be considered confusing have their names retired by the WMO's hurricane committee, which includes staff from the National Hurricane Center.

Sandy caused a huge storm surge in the New York and New Jersey area, costing an estimate $50 billion. The current estimates rank Sandy as the second-costliest hurricane in United States history, ranking only behind Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Sandy becomes the 77th name to become retired from the Atlantic list since 1954, joining other monstrous hurricanes like Katrina and Andrew (1992).

The name will be replaced with "Sara" starting in 2018.