Names of Hurricanes
Image via Wikipedia
Hurricanes are pretty special, I mean, they’re the only weather phenomenon which get their very own names. Tropical storms do not start out with names, but once they manage to reach a sustained wind speed of 39 mph then they are given a name . . . and if that tropical storm carries on gathering speed up to 74 mph then they become hurricanes, and they retain the name they were blessed with as a tropical storm, so, for example “Tropical Storm Fran” would become “Hurricane Fran” if the conditions were right.
There’s a 6 year recurring table of hurricane names, both boys names and girls names are used alternately, but if there is a particularly damaging hurricane one year . . . like Hurricane Katrina . . . then the name Katrina will be replaced six years later.
Retired Atlantic Hurricane Names
