Ah, that's how it goes -- thanks Random Chaos! The B is for the Northern Hemisphere storms, while the S is for those in the Southern Hemisphere to avoid confusion. I believe the S includes all storms in both the Southern Indian & Pacific Oceans as there is generally less activity in that hemisphere and only the two related basins where you really see tropical activity down there.

There has been an 89L, but that was a test product and not an actual storm or invest. They didn't skip 90L or 91L this time around -- they just weren't out there for very long. Trying to keep up with the overall terminology for the current cycle: 95L became Irene (I believe), 96L dissipated in the central Atlantic, 97L also dissipated in the central Atlantic, 98L became Jose, 99L became Katrina, 90L dissipated in the central Atlantic, 91L became Maria, 92L dissipated (yes, in the central Atlantic...notice a theme?

), 93L became Nate, and 94L became TD 16/Ophelia. Whew.