Irene, goodnight: Name retired from storm list

Hurricane Irene over the Bahamas on August 25, 2011. Image by NOAA.

Hurricane Irene caused so much death and destruction in 2011 that the World Meteorological Organization has retired the name 'Irene' from the rotating list of Atlantic Basin tropical storm names, to be replaced by 'Irma.'

(So much for what Daily Beast media critic Howard Kurtz infamously called the "hurricane of hype.")

A news release from NOAA states that Irene was responsible for 49 deaths, as well as $15.8 billion worth of damage in the U.S. alone.

Looks like NOAA left something out of their release, though:

The most severe impact of Irene was catastrophic inland flooding in New Jersey, Massachusetts and Vermont.

New Jersey and Vermont, sure -- but in what world does Massachusetts's Irene flooding merit a note when New York's is left off the list? Ten New Yorkers died in the Irene floods. New York State estimates that it will cost $1.6 billion to clean up damages from Irene and Lee.

And here's what the Boston Globe's editorial page had to say about Irene on August 30, 2011:

For many, if not most, people in Massachusetts, Irene was a relatively minor event, and those who didn’t lose power or have trees fall on their cars will inevitably be tempted to complain of overhype.

Upstate New Yorkers are used to getting mostly overlooked by the Manhattan media. But we expect better from national weather experts. NOAA, we hardly knew ye.