Here’s what you need to know
Naming hurricanes is essential for clear communication and public safety. The World Meteorological Organization oversees a structured list of storm names, aiding both meteorologists and the public in tracking and discussing these powerful systems. While early storm names were assigned randomly or based on local references, they now adhere to a systematic alphabetical structure.
Click on to learn more about how hurricanes are named.
Hurricane names are predetermined and organized into six alphabetical lists maintained by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). These lists are rotated every six years, ensuring that the names remain consistent and familiar to the public.
The rotation means that the 2024 names, which start with Alberto and end with William, will be reused in 2030, maintaining a sense of continuity in hurricane naming conventions.
A developing cyclone receives a name once it reaches the classification of a tropical storm, which requires sustained winds of at least 39 mph (63 kmh). This naming process helps meteorologists and the public easily track and communicate about the storm.
When a tropical storm's maximum sustained winds reach 74 mph (119 kmh), it's officially classified as a hurricane. This categorization is crucial for issuing warnings.
Historically, storm names were more random, sometimes named after saints or locations impacted by the storm.
For example, an 1842 storm that hit a boat named Antje and ruined its mast was called Antje's hurricane.
Meteorologists adopted an alphabetical naming system to create order and clarity, assigning an "A" name to the first storm of the season, a "B" name to the second, and so on.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) created the list of names in 1953, initially using only women's names.
In 1979, the lists started alternating between women's and men's names. That's also when the six current lists entered the rotation.
Pacific hurricane names follow the same system but have their own designated lists.
Hurricane names can be retired if a storm is particularly deadly or destructive.
The decision to remove a name from the list is made at a committee meeting organized by the NHC.
Retiring hurricane names helps to avoid insensitivity toward those affected by such disasters.
Over the years, some names have been altered without clear reasons. For example, in 1966, the name Fern was changed to Frieda, according to the NHC.
In particularly devastating hurricane seasons, multiple names can be retired due to the storms' catastrophic impacts.
Katrina, known for its devastating impact on New Orleans in 2005, was replaced by the name Katia in subsequent lists.
Similarly, the name Floyd, which was associated with a significant hurricane in 1999, was later replaced with the name Franklin.
In 2017, several names were retired due to their destructive impacts, including Harvey, Irma, Maria, and Nate.
Ida, a hurricane that caused severe damage in 2021, was also retired. It will be replaced by the name Imani in 2027.
After the storms of 2022, several names were retired, including Ian, which was replaced with Idris, and Fiona, replaced with Farrah.
Since 1953, the World Meteorological Organization has retired 94 hurricane names.
The list of 2024 hurricane names includes 21 selected names, beginning with Alberto and ending with William.
Familiar names like Chris, Isaac, and Sara are on the list, alongside less common ones like Nadine, Tara, and Milton.
There are only 21 names on the hurricane list, as the letters Q, U, X, Y, and Z are excluded due to the difficulty in finding enough common names that start with these letters.
The NHC maintains six rotating name lists for upcoming years, with the 2025 names including Lorenzo, Erin, Jerry, and Tanya.
In the event that the alphabetical names run out, the WMO has a supplemental list ready to use.
This supplemental list has only been used twice in the last 15 years, with the most recent instance occurring in 2020. During that season, the primary list of names was used up by mid-September.
The WMO used to use the Greek alphabet when they ran out of names, but decided at a committee meeting in 2021 that the practice would end.
The reason was that Greek names often drew too much attention, were difficult to pronounce for some, and shifted focus away from the actual impact of the storm.
Sources: (CBS News) (World Meteorological Organization)
See also: What is the economical impact of hurricane season?
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LIFESTYLE Natural disasters
Naming hurricanes is essential for clear communication and public safety. The World Meteorological Organization oversees a structured list of storm names, aiding both meteorologists and the public in tracking and discussing these powerful systems. While early storm names were assigned randomly or based on local references, they now adhere to a systematic alphabetical structure.
Click on to learn more about how hurricanes are named.