Dear Uncle Sam - Hurricane Names

In 1953, just a few years after the United States implemented a plan naming storms by a phonetic alphabet (Able, Baker, Charlie), a new international phonetic alphabet was introduced. So, the nation's weather services officially decided to use female names for storms, and that system lasted for 25 years. In 1978, the weather services introduced both men's and women's names in the Eastern North Pacific storm lists, and in 1979, male and female names were included in storm lists for the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.

By the way, the lists of names have an international flavor. (The 2000 list includes Ernesto, Isaac, and Rafael, and the 2001 list includes Chantal, Gabrielle, Humberto, Lorenzo, and Pablo.) That's because weather service organizations in many countries now use these lists for naming storms because this naming process reduces confusion, especially when two or more storms occur at the same time.

The Tropical Prediction Center (TPC) of the National Hurricane Center near Miami, Florida keeps a constant watch on oceanic storm-breeding areas for tropical disturbances that might become hurricanes. If a disturbance intensifies into a tropical storm -- a storm having rotary circulation and wind speeds of at least 39 miles per hour -- the TPC gives the storm a name from one of the WMO's six official lists of storm names. Each list has 21 names on it, alternating male and female. (Names starting with Q, U, X, Y, and Z aren't used because so few names begin with these letters.) Each year, the TPC starts using a new list, and when all six lists have been used - even if all the names on the lists weren't used - they start using the first list again.

Pay close attention to this year's weather forecasts in your area because "Debby" is the fourth name on the list being used this year. But, if there is a "Hurricane Debby," let's hope it's not too severe. Not only do we want to save lives and protect property, but the National Hurricane Center also retires a name after a major land-falling storm.

To learn more about hurricanes and other severe storms, visit the NWS Internet site or the National Hurricane Center.

5/30/00

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In 1953, just a few years after the United States implemented a plan naming storms by a phonetic alphabet (Able, Baker, Charlie), a new international phonetic alphabet was introduced. So, the nation's weather services officially decided to use female names for storms, and that system lasted for 25 years. In 1978, the weather services introduced both men's and women's names in the Eastern North Pacific storm lists, and in 1979, male and female names were included in storm lists for the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.

By the way, the lists of names have an international flavor. (The 2000 list includes Ernesto, Isaac, and Rafael, and the 2001 list includes Chantal, Gabrielle, Humberto, Lorenzo, and Pablo.) That's because weather service organizations in many countries now use these lists for naming storms because this naming process reduces confusion, especially when two or more storms occur at the same time.

The Tropical Prediction Center (TPC) of the National Hurricane Center near Miami, Florida keeps a constant watch on oceanic storm-breeding areas for tropical disturbances that might become hurricanes. If a disturbance intensifies into a tropical storm -- a storm having rotary circulation and wind speeds of at least 39 miles per hour -- the TPC gives the storm a name from one of the WMO's six official lists of storm names. Each list has 21 names on it, alternating male and female. (Names starting with Q, U, X, Y, and Z aren't used because so few names begin with these letters.) Each year, the TPC starts using a new list, and when all six lists have been used - even if all the names on the lists weren't used - they start using the first list again.