PAGASA Releases 2026 Typhoon Names in the Philippines

(SPOT.ph) It may be the new year, but we can pretty much expect the same old weather disturbances to plague our archipelagic country. To help us keep track of them, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) has released the official list of typhoon names for 2026 tropical cyclones that enter or form within the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).

PAGASA's naming convention follows a four-year rotation, with each year assigned a specific set of 25 names in alphabetical order, except the letter X. Regardless of whether all the names in the list are exhausted, the following year will use the next set.

For 2026, three new names have been introduced to Set II: Ada, Francisco, Kiyapo, and Pilandok, replacing Agaton, Florita, Karding, and Paeng, respectively. All retired names are tropical cycles that devastated the country in 2022.

Why replace them, you ask? The practice of retiring typhoon names is implemented when a storm causes at least 300 fatalities and/or results in damages exceeding P1 billion to infrastructure and agriculture, according to PAGASA. This policy hopes to prevent the trauma linked to the recurrence of such impactful names in previous years. The decommissioned name is then replaced by another name starting with the same letter.

Also read: Why Does PAGASA Name Typhoons After People?

Ada
Basyang
Caloy
Domeng
Ester
Francisco
Gardo
Henry
Inday
Josie
Kiyapo
Luis
Maymay
Neneng
Obet
Pilandok
Queenie
Rosal
Samuel
Tomas
Umberto
Venus
Waldo
Yayang
Zeny

In case we use up the whole list of 25 tropical cyclone names (and let's face it—that is likely), PAGASA has prepared 10 backups for 2026:

Agila
Bagwis
Chito
Diego
Elena
Felino
Gunding
Harriet
Indang
Jessa

Also read: Baha Ka Lang, Pinoy Kami: Why Are We So Good at Being Funny During Disasters?