How are hurricanes named?

 Hurricanes are named with the purpose of simplifying information exchange and communication, and minimizing confusion when two or more storms occur at the same time.

 

Tropical storms can last for a week or longer. Therefore, sometimes, two or more storms can occur at the same time. To avoid confusion, meteorologists will name each storm.

 

According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), tropical storms are named according to regional rules.

 

Since 1950, hurricanes in the Atlantic and southern hemispheres (the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific) have been named but not according to specific rules. By 1953, tropical storms will be named after women, arranged in alphabetical order.

 

By 1978, male names were added to the list and alternated with female names. For example, if the first storm of the year begins with the letter A – Anne, the next storm will begin with the letter B – Bernard.

 

For the Atlantic region alone, WMO uses a list of 21 names to name storms. In total, 6 lists will be used alternately over the years. Accordingly, the list of storm names in 2019 will be reused in 2025. In particular, the names of storms do not start with the letters Q, U, X, Y or Z.

 

Countries in the North Indian Ocean started using the new system for naming tropical cyclones from 2020. The storms are listed alphabetically, by country, and are named by names. neutral name.

 

The general rule is a list of hurricane names recommended by the National Meteorological Administration (NMHSs). This list is approved by the respective bodies at their annual or biennial meetings.

 

With the Northwest Pacific and the East Sea (including storms that make landfall in Vietnam), most storms are named after places, animals or plants. Each country is given 10 hurricane names, divided into 5 lists and will rotate by year.

 

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) is one of the 6 Regional Specialized Meteorological Centers under the World Meteorological Organization. This center is the agency responsible for forecasting, warning and naming tropical cyclones operating over the Pacific Northwest and South China Sea.

 

The naming of hurricanes began a long time ago, to help quickly identify hurricanes in warning messages. Names are easier for people to remember than numbers and technical terms.

 

Many people agree with this idea, and believe that naming will make it easier for the media to report on storms, help people pay attention to warnings, and thereby strengthen their response to storms. arrived.

 

The use of short, proper names also makes text or voice announcements more convenient, faster and less error prone than the difficult-to-remember, long-term, longitude, and longitude method of determining a hurricane by latitude and longitude. current. These provide an important advantage in exchanging detailed information about storms.

 

In particular, the names of storms can be omitted if the storm causes heavy damage to people and property. Usually, during WMO’s annual meetings, names that “violate” this taboo are removed and replaced with new names.

 

Storm names removed from the list for causing heavy damage include: Mangkhut (Philippines, 2018), Irma and Maria (Caribbean, 2017), Haiyan (Philippines, 2013), Sandy (USA, 2012). , Katrina (USA, 2005), Mitch (Honduras, 1998) and Tracy (Darwin, 1974).