Hurricane Colin will be the name of the third tropical cyclone in the Atlantic Basin during the 2010 hurricane season. Atlantic cyclones usually begin as tropical depressions, which are identified by number rather than name. Tropical Storm Colin formed early on the morning of August 3, 2010, in the Caribbean. The storm was packing sustained winds of 40 miles per hour.http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-08-03/tropical-storm-colin-forms-east-of-antilles-on-likely-path-east-of-bahamas.html If the tropical storm intensifies to maximum sustained winds of 75 mph or more, then it will become Hurricane Colin.

Those with interests in hurricane-prone areas are bracing for a busy 2010 hurricane season. The preeminent forecasters predict that there will be more hurricanes in 2010 than in the average hurricane season.http://www.wtvm.com/Global/story.asp?S=12552859 If the forecasts hold up, we can expect that a storm named Colin will form in 2010.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) names hurricanes using six rotating lists of alphabetical male and female names. Names of particularly deadly or damaging storms are retired. Hurricane Colin is the first Atlantic storm to use the name Colin. The name will be used again in 2016, unless it is retired after this season.

The storms preceding Hurricane Colin in 2010 were Alex and Bonnie. The next hurricane after Colin will be Danielle. http://www.tropicalweather.net/Atlantic_Hurricane_Names.htm

The hurricane season in 2010 is the first season to use the name Colin. The "C" name in 2004 was Charley. Hurricane Charley hit the southwest coast of Florida as a Category 4 hurricane on Aug. 13, 2004. http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/2004charley.shtml?

The hurricane came ashore near Cayo Costa, which is just north of Captiva Island. After making landfall, Hurricane Charley took a north northeastward track, passing over Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte, and Orlando. Although Hurricane Charley weakened as it crossed the Florida peninsula, it still had hurricane-force winds when it moved offshore near Daytona Beach. Charley also struck Cape Romain and North Myrtle Beach, SC, and, weakening to a tropical storm, crossed North Carolina before it moved back into the Atlantic and became extratropical.

Hurricane Charley was a deadly storm that caused massive property damage. Nine people in Florida, one in Rhode Island, four in Cuba, and one in Jamaica were killed as a direct result of Hurricane Charley. The total property damages in Florida, South Carolina, and North Carolina, including insured and uninsured damages, were estimated at $14 billion. http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/2004charley.shtml?

The WMO retired the name Charley after 2004 because of the loss of life and extensive property damages.http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/retirednames.shtml Colin was substituted for Charley in 2010. Incredibly, the names Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne were also retired after the 2004 season.