How hurricanes are named. Hurricane names

Why are hurricanes named? According to what principles does this happen? What categories are assigned to such elements? What are the most destructive hurricanes in history? We will talk about all this in our article.

How are hurricanes formed?

Such natural phenomena originate in tropical zones in the middle of the ocean. A prerequisite is an increase in water temperature to 26 o C. The moist air that comes into contact with the sea surface gradually rises. Upon reaching the desired height, it condenses and releases heat. The reaction causes other air masses to rise. The process becomes cyclical.

Streams of hot air begin to rotate counterclockwise, which is due to the movement of the planet around its own axis. An abundance of clouds are forming. As soon as the wind speed begins to exceed 130 km/h, the hurricane takes on a clear outline and begins to move in a certain direction.

Hurricane categories

A special scale for determining the nature of the damage after was developed by researchers Robert Simpson and Herbert Saffir in 1973. Scientists based the selection of criteria on the size of storm waves and wind speed. How many categories of hurricanes? There are 5 threat levels in total:

Minimal - small trees and shrubs are subject to destructive influences. Minor damage to coastal piers is observed, small vessels are being torn from their anchors.
Moderate - Trees and shrubs receive significant damage. Some of them are uprooted. Prefabricated structures are severely damaged. Marinas and piers are being destroyed.
Significant - prefabricated houses suffer damage, large trees fall, roofs, doors and windows are torn off from permanent buildings. Severe flooding is occurring within coastlines.
Huge - bushes, trees, billboards, prefabricated structures soar into the air. Houses are being destroyed to the ground. Capital buildings are subject to serious destructive influences. The height of water in areas where areas are flooded reaches three meters above sea level. Floods can travel 10 kilometers inland. There is significant damage from debris and waves.
Catastrophic - a hurricane sweeps away all prefabricated structures, trees and bushes. Most buildings receive critical damage. Serious damage is caused to the lower floors. The effects of the disaster are visible more than 45 kilometers inland. There is a need for mass evacuation of the population living in coastal areas.

How are hurricanes named?

The decision to name atmospheric phenomena was made during World War II. During this period, American meteorologists actively monitored the behavior of typhoons in the Pacific Ocean. Trying to prevent confusion, researchers gave the manifestations of the elements the names of their own mothers-in-law and wives. At the end of the war, the United States National Weather Service compiled a special list of hurricane names that were short and easy to remember. Thus, the compilation of statistical data for researchers has become significantly easier.

Specific rules for naming hurricanes appeared in the 50s of the last century. At first, the phonetic alphabet was used. However, the method turned out to be inconvenient. Soon, meteorologists decided to return to a proven option, namely, the use of female names. Subsequently, it became a system. How hurricanes are named in the United States has also been learned in other countries around the world. The principle of choosing short, memorable names began to be used to identify typhoons formed in all oceans.

In the 1970s, the process for naming hurricanes was streamlined. Thus, the first major natural phenomenon of the year began to be designated by the shortest, sweetest female name according to the first letter of the alphabet. Subsequently, names were used by other letters according to their sequence in the alphabet. To identify the manifestations of the elements, a wide list was compiled, which included 84 female names. In 1979, meteorologists decided to expand the presented list to include male names of hurricanes.

"San Calixto"

One of the largest hurricanes in history, it was named after the famous Roman martyr bishop. According to documented information, a natural phenomenon swept across the Caribbean islands back in 1780. As a result of the disaster, about 95% of all buildings were damaged. The hurricane raged for 11 days and killed 27,000 people. A crazy storm destroyed the entire British fleet stationed in the Caribbean.

"Katrina"

Perhaps Hurricane Katrina in America became the most discussed in history. A natural disaster with a cute female name caused devastating consequences in the territories near the Gulf of Mexico. As a result of the disaster, the infrastructure in and Louisiana was almost completely destroyed. The hurricane killed about 2,000 people. The states of Florida, Alabama, Ohio, Georgia, and Kentucky were also affected. As for its territory, it was subjected to a serious flood.

Subsequently, the disaster led to a social catastrophe. Hundreds of thousands of people were left homeless. The cities that suffered the most destruction became the epicenter of mass crime. Statistics on theft of property, looting, and robberies have reached incredible numbers. The government managed to return life to normal only a year later.

"Irma"

Hurricane Irma is one of the most recent tropical cyclones with extremely destructive consequences. A natural phenomenon formed in August 2017, near the Cape Verde Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. In September, the hurricane received a category five threat. Settlements located in the south of the Bahamas suffered catastrophic destruction. More than half the population lost their housing.

Then Hurricane Irma reached Cuba. Soon the capital, Havana, was completely flooded. According to meteorologists, waves up to 7 meters high were recorded here. Heavy wind gusts reached speeds of 250 km/h.

On September 10, a natural disaster reached the coast of Florida. Local authorities had to urgently evacuate more than 6 million people. The hurricane soon moved to Miami, where it caused severe destruction. A few days later, Irma's category dropped to its minimum level. On September 12 of this year, the hurricane completely disintegrated.

"Harvey"

Hurricane Harvey in the United States is a natural phenomenon that formed on August 17, 2017. The tropical cyclone caused flooding in the southern and eastern parts. The consequence was the death of more than 80 people. After the catastrophic destruction in Houston, cases of theft and looting increased significantly. City authorities were forced to impose a curfew. Public order began to be controlled by the military.

Elimination of damage after Hurricane Harvey in the United States required the allocation of $8 billion from the budget. However, according to experts, the complete restoration of infrastructure in the affected settlements will require more significant financial injections, estimated at approximately 70 billion.

"Camilla"

In August 1969, one of the largest cyclones in history formed, which was named Camilla. The epicenter of the strike was in the United States. A natural phenomenon, which was assigned the fifth category of danger, hit the state of Mississippi. The incredible amount of rainfall led to widespread flooding of areas. Researchers were never able to measure the maximum wind force due to the destruction of all meteorological instruments. Therefore, the real power of Hurricane Camille remains a mystery to this day.

As a result of the disaster, more than 250 people went missing. About 8,900 residents of Mississippi, Virginia, Louisiana and Alabama were injured to varying degrees of severity. Thousands of houses were under water, buried under trees and covered by landslides. Material damage to the state amounted to about $6 billion.

"Mitch"

Hurricane Mitch caused a real disaster in the late 90s. The epicenter of the disaster was in the Atlantic Basin. In Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua, the largest number of buildings and roads were destroyed. A large number of people died. According to official data, the disaster took the lives of 11,000 people. A similar number of people were included in the lists of missing persons. A significant part of African territories has turned into continuous mud swamps. Cities began to suffer massively from a shortage of drinking water. Hurricane Mitch raged for a whole month.

"Andrew"

Andrew also deserves a place on the list of the strongest hurricanes in history. In 1992, he walked throughout the entire territory, affecting the states of Florida and Louisiana. According to official data, the disaster caused $26 billion in damage to the United States. Although experts say that this amount is significantly underestimated, and the real losses are 34 billion.

Hurricanes are usually given names. This is done so as not to confuse them, especially when several tropical cyclones are active in the same area of the world, so that there are no misunderstandings in weather forecasting, in the issuance of storm alerts and warnings.

Before the first system for naming hurricanes, hurricanes received their names haphazardly and randomly. Sometimes a hurricane was named after the saint on whose day the disaster occurred. For example, Hurricane Santa Anna got its name, which reached the city of Puerto Rico on July 26, 1825, St. Anna. The name could be given to the area that suffered the most from the disaster. Sometimes the name was determined by the very form of development of the hurricane. Thus, for example, hurricane “Pin” No. 4 got its name in 1935, the shape of its trajectory resembled the mentioned object.

The original method of naming hurricanes, invented by Australian meteorologist Clement Wragg, is known: he named typhoons after members of parliament who refused to vote on the allocation of loans for meteorological research.

The names of cyclones became widespread during the Second World War. U.S. Air Force and Navy meteorologists were monitoring typhoons in the northwest Pacific Ocean. To avoid confusion, military meteorologists named typhoons after their wives or girlfriends. After the war, the US National Weather Service compiled an alphabetical list of female names. The main idea behind this list was to use names that are short, simple and easy to remember.

By 1950, the first system in hurricane names appeared. First they chose the phonetic army alphabet, and in 1953 they decided to return to women's names. Subsequently, the assignment of female names to hurricanes became part of the system and was extended to other tropical cyclones - Pacific typhoons, storms of the Indian Ocean, Timor Sea and the north-west coast of Australia. The naming procedure itself had to be streamlined. Thus, the first hurricane of the year began to be called a female name, starting with the first letter of the alphabet, the second - with the second, etc. The names chosen were short, easy to pronounce and easy to remember. There was a list of 84 female names for typhoons. In 1979, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), together with the US National Weather Service, expanded this list to also include male names.

Since there are several basins where hurricanes form, there are also several lists of names. For Atlantic basin hurricanes there are 6 alphabetical lists, each with 21 names, which are used for 6 consecutive years and then repeated. If there are more than 21 Atlantic hurricanes in a year, the Greek alphabet will come into play.

If a typhoon is particularly destructive, the name assigned to it is removed from the list and replaced by another. So the name Katrina is forever crossed off the list of meteorologists.

In the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean, names of animals, flowers, trees and even foods are reserved for typhoons: Nakri, Yufung, Kanmuri, Kopu. The Japanese refused to give female names to deadly typhoons because they consider women to be gentle and quiet creatures. And the tropical cyclones of the northern Indian Ocean remain nameless.

Hurricane Matthew killed hundreds of people along the Caribbean coast and the eastern United States, leaving thousands homeless.

The next hurricanes to hit these areas will be named Nicole and Otto. Who gives them these names?

Why do hurricanes need “human” names?

It turns out that hurricanes have been given names for the last 100 years. According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), hurricanes are given "human" names to help spread awareness and avoid confusion among meteorologists, researchers, emergency workers, ship captains, the media and residents in disaster areas.

Why are these names chosen and not others?

About 100 years ago, storms were given arbitrary names. But one day a hurricane raging in the Atlantic Ocean destroyed a ship belonging to Antje. That hurricane was called “Antje”. Then in the mid-20th century, hurricanes began to be given feminine names.

Meteorologists decided to move to a more organized and efficient system. They systematized the choice of name according to the military phonetic alphabet.

Thus, if the first hurricane occurred in a year, it was named with the letter “A”, the second with the letter “B”, and so on. By the end of the 20th century, male names were also added to the list.

Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and North Atlantic region:

Speaking of Matthew, this is the 13th cyclone to pass through the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and North Atlantic region in 2016. Lists of names in this region are formed five years in advance, so in 2022 the list of 2016 will be in effect again. In each year, 21 names are recorded for each letter of the alphabet, except Q, U, X, Y and Z.

Names of storms that caused severe damage are removed from the list and replaced with other names. For example, this was Hurricane Katrina in 2005 or Hurricane Sandy in 2012. We won't see them on the lists anymore.

The names of cyclones became widespread during the Second World War. U.S. Air Force and Navy meteorologists were monitoring typhoons in the northwest Pacific Ocean. To avoid confusion, military meteorologists named typhoons after their wives or mothers-in-law. After the war, the US National Weather Service compiled an alphabetical list of female names. The main idea behind this list was to use names that are short, simple and easy to remember.

By 1950, the first system in hurricane names appeared. First they chose the phonetic army alphabet, and in 1953 they decided to return to FEMALE NAMES. Subsequently, the assignment of female names to hurricanes became part of the system and was extended to other tropical cyclones - Pacific typhoons, storms of the Indian Ocean, Timor Sea and the north-west coast of Australia.

The naming procedure itself had to be streamlined. Thus, the first hurricane of the year began to be called a female name, starting with the first letter of the alphabet, the second - with the second, etc. The names chosen were short, easy to pronounce and easy to remember. There was a list of 84 female names for typhoons. In 1979, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), together with the US National Weather Service, expanded this list to also include male names.

If a typhoon is particularly destructive, the name assigned to it is removed from the list and replaced by another. So the name KATRINA is forever crossed out from the list of meteorologists.

Photo: NOAA NWS National Hurricane Center

Hurricane Irma, which struck the Caribbean islands and Florida, is called the strongest in the Atlantic on record, moreover, it brought terrible destruction and led to dozens of deaths. It is possible that his name will never again be used by meteorologists to name hurricanes in the future, so as not to remind people of the tragic events.

The Voice of America spoke about how and why hurricanes get their names.

Why do hurricanes need names?

Initially, the name is given to a storm that later weakens or develops into a hurricane. Nameless storms and hurricanes would make life very difficult for meteorologists, researchers, ship captains, rescuers, and just ordinary people. Names facilitate communication, which means they increase the level of security. That is why the World Meteorological Organization has created a special list of names for the elements, which is updated every year.

What were hurricanes called before the naming system came into being?

Hurricanes were often named after saints. For example, the hurricane that reached Puerto Rico on July 26, 1825, St. Anne's Day, was called St. Anne. Sometimes the name was chosen to be the name of the area that suffered the most. And sometimes the name was dictated by the shape of the hurricane. This is how Hurricane Pin got its name in 1935.

How many names are on the list

Every year, 21 names are included in the list - the number of all letters in the alphabet, except Q, U, X, Y and Z - they are not used. The names are used in order: the first storm of the season is called by a name that begins with A, the second with B, and so on.

What to do if all the letters in the alphabet are gone?

This happens extremely rarely: usually the number of tropical storms and hurricanes does not exceed 21. If this does happen, the Greek alphabet comes to the rescue. Hurricanes are named Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, etc.

When are hurricanes called by female names, and when by male names?

At first, hurricanes were exclusively “women.” Military meteorologists began assigning female names to natural disasters during World War II. In 1953, this method was officially approved. But since 1978, after a lawsuit, the situation has changed: hurricanes began to be given male names.

How many names have meteorologists already “used up” this year?

For the Atlantic Coast, the list of hurricane names for 2017 is: Arlene, Bret, Cindy, Emily, Franklin, Harvey, Irma, Jose, Katya, Lee, Maria, Ophelia, Philip, Rina, Sin, Tammy, Vince and Whitney. Florida and Georgia are currently experiencing the effects of Hurricane Irma. Storms Jose and Katya have already formed in the Atlantic and received their names. That is, 9 more names from the 2017 list remained unused.

Can a hurricane's name "retire"?

Maybe if the elements were too destructive. In this case, using the same name again may be too painful for those affected. For example, there will no longer be a hurricane named Katrina. It was removed from the list of names and will never be used again. There is a possibility that the same fate awaits the names Harvey and Irma.