The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) has announced the list of local names for tropical cyclones that may enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility in 2026. Ada is among the new names to be used for the first time. The list draws from regular and auxiliary sets cycled every four years.
PAGASA assigns local names to all tropical cyclones that form within or enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR). It alternates four regular sets of 25 names each, arranged alphabetically, supplemented by auxiliary sets of 10 names for years with more than 25 cyclones.
For 2026, these sets were last used in 2022 and will recur in 2030, 2034, and beyond, excluding retired names. Four new names are introduced: Ada, Francisco, Kiyapo, and Pilandok. They replace those from 2022: Tropical Storm Agaton (international name Megi), Severe Tropical Storm Florita (Ma-on), Super Typhoon Karding (Noru), and Severe Tropical Storm Paeng (Nalgae).
A cyclone's name is retired if it causes at least 300 deaths and/or P1 billion in damage to agriculture and infrastructure. It is then replaced by a new name starting with the same letter.
International names for cyclones in the western North Pacific and South China Sea are assigned by the Regional Specialized Meteorological Center Tokyo-Typhoon Center, operated by the Japan Meteorological Agency. These draw from a list contributed by several countries, including the Philippines. Only cyclones reaching tropical storm strength receive international names, while tropical depressions get local names within the PAR. – Acor Arceo/Rappler.com
