How Are Hurricanes Named
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. . . I Name This Hurricane . . .
Hurricanes are the only weather features to get their own names . . . well, since 1953 anyway. The National Hurricane Center drew up a list of names (only women’s names until 1979, not sure that’s fair) but now mens and womens names are used alternately. Six lists of names are rotated, so the names used in say 2002 will be repeated in 2008. Each area has it’s own list of names, but if a hurricane in any particular year is particularly destructive causing many deaths etc., then the name is replaced in subsequent lists.
Hurricane names start with the letter “A” and go right through to “W”, which is hopefully enough to cover any one season, so the first hurricane of the season will be something like Arlene (2011) or Alberto (2012), the next one Bret or Beryl and so on. You see how it works, it’s easy really . . . I’ll tell you what, here’s the list of hurricane names for the Atlantic region next year (2012) . . . so you’ll know who to expect.
Alberto, Beryl, Chris, Debby, Ernesto, Florence, Gordon, Helene, Isaac, Joyce, Kirk, Leslie, Michael, Nadine, Oscar, Patty, Rafael, Sandy, Tony, Valerie and William. Sounds like a school class doesn’t it?
What a terrific idea . . . sell the names, but as she says, you wouldn’t want your own personal hurricane to be responsible for mass destruction would you? Definitely a risky business.
