2003 WMHB Atlantic hurricane season (Cooper)

The 2003 Atlantic hurricane season was a hyperactive and destructive Atlantic hurricane season. With 21 named storms, 12 hurricanes, and 4 major hurricanes forming, the 2003 season is tied with the 1995 and 2017 seasons as the fifth-most active Atlantic hurricane season on record. The season officially began on June 1, 2003, and ended on November 30, 2003. These dates historically describe the period each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin and are adopted by convention. However, tropical cyclogenesis is possible at any time of the year, as demonstrated by the formation of Tropical Storm Ana on April 20.

Storm names
The following list of names was used for named storms that formed in the North Atlantic in 2003. The names not retired from this list were used again in the 2009 season. This was the same list used in the 1997 season. The names Nicholas, Odette, Peter, Rose, Sam, Teresa, Victor, and Wanda were used for the first time this year.

Retirement
On April 30, 2004, at the 26th session of the RA IV hurricane committee, the World Meteorological Organization retired the names Joaquin, Mindy, and Odette from its rotating name lists due to the amount of damage and deaths they caused, and they will not be used again for another Atlantic hurricane. They were replaced with Julian, Mabel, and Odessa for the 2009 season.