Hurricane Matthew killed hundreds of people along the Caribbean coast and in 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 have "human" names?

It turns out that for the last 100 years, hurricanes have been given names. According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), hurricanes are given "human" names to spread information about them faster and avoid confusion among meteorologists, researchers, first responders, ship captains, the media and residents of 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 owned by Antje. That hurricane was nicknamed “Antje”. Then, in the middle of the 20th century, hurricanes began to be given female names.

The 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 happened in the year, then it was called with the letter "A", the second - with the letter "B", and so on. By the end of the 20th century, male names were added to the list.

Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and North Atlantic:

Speaking of Matthew, this is the 13th cyclone that passed 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 valid again. In each year, 21 names are recorded for each letter of the alphabet, except for Q, U, X, Y and Z.

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

Hurricane Irma continues its destructive path to Florida. Hurricane Jose is gaining strength in the Atlantic. And Hurricane Katya is born in the Gulf of Mexico. Irma, Jose, Katya? How do these energetic forces of nature give hurricanes names?

Hurricanes are named for public safety purposes, said Claire Nullis, spokeswoman for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). It has become easier for the media to publish a storm and increase interest in warnings when a storm has a name, according to the WMO.

Why is the hurricane named Irma?

Hurricane Irma gets its name because it follows Harvey on a predetermined list set by the WMO for hurricanes that occur in the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, and the North Atlantic Ocean.

Experience shows that using short, distinctive names like Irma in written and spoken language is faster and less error prone than the older, more cumbersome methods of identifying latitude longitude. These advantages are especially important for the exchange detailed information about a storm between hundreds of widely scattered stations, coastal bases and ships at sea.
The use of easy-to-remember names greatly reduces confusion when two or more tropical storms occur at the same time. For example, one hurricane may be slowly moving west in the Gulf of Mexico, while at the same time another hurricane may be moving rapidly north along the Atlantic coast. In the past, confusion and false rumors arose when storm warnings broadcast from radio stations were mistaken for warnings of an entirely different storm hundreds of miles away.

Where do all these names come from, and what will be the next name? You probably already know what hurricane names go to alphabetical order throughout the season, but they are more structured.

The World Meteorological Organization, which is responsible for naming hurricanes and tropical storms, has six lists that they go through. (In other words, they currently use non-expired names that were also used in both 2011 and 2005). They have been using this system since 1953.

List of hurricane names

List of hurricane names, for 2017 and beyond

2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022
Arlene	Alberto	Andrea	Arthur	Ana	Alex
Bret	Beryl	Barry	Bertha	Bill	Bonnie
Cindy	Chris	Chantal	Cristobal	Claudette	Colin
Don	Debbie	Dorian	Dolly	Danny	Daniella
Emily	Ernesto	Erin	Edouard	Elsa	Earl
Franklin	Florence	Fernand	Fay	Fred	fiona
Gert	Gordon	Gabriel	Gonzalo	Grace	Gaston
Harvey	Helen	Umberto	Hannah	Henri	Hermina
Irma	Isaac	Imelda	isaias	Ida	Jan
Jose	Joyce	Jerry	Josephine	julian	Julia
Kate	Kirk	Karen	Kyle	Kate	Charles
Lee	Leslie	Lorenzo	Laura	Larry	Lisa
Maria	Michael	Melissa	Marco	Mindy	Martin
Nate	Nadine	Nestor	Nana	Nicholas	Nicole
Ophelia	Oscar	Olga	Lobster	Odette	Owen
Philip	Patty	Pablo	Paulette	Peter	Paula
Rina	Raphael	Rebekah	Rene	Rose	Richard
Sean	Sarah	Sebestyen	Sally	Sam	Shariy
Tammy	Tony	Tanya	Teddy	Theresa	Tobias
Vince	Valerie	Van	Wiki	Victor	virginie
Whitney	William	Wendy	Wilfred	Wanda	Walter

What are the names of hurricanes

The hurricane names are already planned for six years ahead, including 21 years. But while the names are more or less alphabetical, don't hold your breath for Hurricanes Quinn or Humberto — there aren't any names on the list that start with Q, U, X, Y, or Z because there aren't enough that start with those letters, according to Nullis. .

In the unlikely event that there are more hurricanes in a year than predetermined names, hurricanes in this region of the world are named after Greek letters: alpha, beta, gamma, etc. The storms were called Alpha-Alpha-Alpha several times: in 1972, 1973 and again in 2005, although the last storm to blast Haiti and the Dominican Republic with heavy rain was overshadowed by the devastating effects of Hurricane Wilma.

Hurricane names are removed at the request of a country representative at the annual meetings of a WMO committee called the Regional Association Hurricane Committee. This is done when the storm was so destructive that future use of the hurricane's name is considered unethical, according to Nullis. Katrina, Sandy, and Ike — exceptionally catastrophic Atlantic hurricanes that impacted the US — have been cut from the list (below).

Hurricanes names

Year	Name
2016	Matthew
2016	Otto
2015	Erika
2015	Joaquin
2013	Ingrid
2012	Sandy
2011	Irene
2010	Thomas
2010	Igor
2008	Paloma
2008	Ike
2008	Gustav
2007	Noel
2007	Felix
2007	Dean
2005	Wilma
2005	Stan
2005	Rita
2005	Katrina
2005	Dennis
2004	Jeanne
2004	Ivan
2004	Frances
2004	Charley
2003	Juan
2003	Isabel
2003	Fabian
2002	Lily
2002	Isidore
2001	Michelle
2001	iris
2001	Allison
2000	Keith
1999	Lenny
1999	Floyd
1998	Mitch
1998	Georges
1996	Hortense
1996	Frances
1996	Caesar
1995	Roxanne
1995	Opal
1995	Marilyn
1995	Louis
1992	Andrew
1991	Bob
1990	Klaus
1990	Diana
1989	Hugo
1988	Joan
1988	Gilbert
1985	Gloria
1985	Elena
1983	Alicia
1980	Allen
1979	Frederic
1979	David
1977	Anita
1975	Eloise
1974	Fifi
1974	carmen
1972	Agnes
1970	Celia
1969	Camille
1967	Beulah
1966	Inez
1965	Betsy
1964	Dora
1964	cleo
1964	hilda
1963	Flora
1961	Hattie
1961	Carla
1960	Donna
1957	Audrey
1955	Janet
1955	Ione
1955	Diane
1955	Connie
1954	Hazel
1954	Edna
1954	carol

Names of hurricanes and typhoons

But the process of naming Atlantic hurricanes has not always been so neat.

Beginning in 1950, storms in the region were named after the Joint Army/Navy phonetic alphabet — Able, Baker, Charlie, Dog — when the convention changed to female names instead, according to Patrick Fitzpatrick, professor of meteorology at the University of Mississippi and author of Hurricanes: A Reference Guide (ABC-CLIO, Inc., 2006). According to Nullis, male names were added in 1979 in the interest of gender equality.

Officially, storms are not named after specific people, but that doesn't stop people from getting upset about sharing their name with a massive storm, Nullis said.

She recalled a complaint last year by a man named Matthew who was unhappy about sharing his name with the 2016 storm that wreaked such havoc on Haiti. On another occasion, someone said that the names weren't "tough" enough.

Others have different ideas on how to name hurricanes, including those who propose that they be named after science fiction characters and others who propose their own. proper names Nullis said.

There are more vengeful people who want to stamp their personal grievances on natural disasters.

“We had a lady who asked us to name a hurricane after her ex-husband Nullis said.

As for Irma, this is the first year the name has been used for a hurricane. Irma took the place of Irina, a name that was removed from rotation at the request of the United States in 2012. Whether the names of recent hurricanes Irma or Harvey will be dropped is a decision to be made by the Regional Hurricane Association Committee at the next meeting to be held in France in 2020.

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 do hurricanes form?

Such natural phenomena originate in tropical zones in the middle of the ocean. A prerequisite is an increase in water temperature to 26 ° C. Wet air, which is in contact with the sea surface, gradually rises. Upon reaching the desired height, it condenses with the release of heat. Reaction causes others to rise air masses. 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, begins to move in a certain direction.

Categories of hurricanes

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

1. Minimal - small trees and shrubs are exposed to destructive impacts. Minor damage to coastal piers is observed, small-sized vessels break anchors.
2. Moderate - Trees and shrubs take significant damage. Some of them are uprooted. Prefabricated structures are severely damaged. Wharfs and piers are destroyed.
3. Significant - prefabricated houses suffer damage, large trees fall, roofs, doors and windows are torn off from capital buildings. Severe flooding occurs within coastlines.
4. Huge - shrubs, trees, billboards, prefabricated structures soar into the air. Houses are crumbling to the ground. Capital structures are exposed to serious destructive influences. The height of the waters in the places of flooding of the territories reaches three meters above sea level. Floods can move up to 10 kilometers inland. There is significant damage from debris and waves.
5. Catastrophic - all prefabricated structures, trees and shrubs are swept away by a hurricane. Most buildings receive critical damage. Serious damage is done to the lower floors. The consequences of a natural disaster are visible at a distance of more than 45 kilometers inland. There is a need for mass evacuation of the population that lives in coastal areas.

How are hurricanes named?

The decision to give names to atmospheric phenomena was made during World War II. During this period, American meteorologists were actively monitoring the behavior of typhoons in the Pacific Ocean. Trying to prevent confusion, the 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 list of short, easy-to-remember hurricane names. Thus, the compilation of statistical data for researchers has been greatly facilitated.

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 they give names to hurricanes in the United States, they learned in other countries of the world. The principle of choosing short, memorable names began to be used to identify typhoons that formed in all oceans.

In the 70s, the procedure for naming hurricanes was streamlined. So, the first major natural phenomenon of the year began to be denoted by the shortest, sweet-sounding female name according to the first letter of the alphabet. Subsequently, names were used for 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 list presented to include male names of hurricanes.

"San Calixto"

One of the largest hurricanes in history, it got its name from the famous Roman martyr bishop. According to documented references, a natural phenomenon swept through the islands of the Caribbean in the distant 1780. As a result of the disaster, about 95% of all buildings were damaged. The hurricane raged for 11 days and claimed the lives of 27,000 people. The insane element destroyed the entire British fleet that was stationed in the Caribbean.

"Katrina"

Perhaps Hurricane Katrina in America has become the most talked about in history. A natural disaster with a sweet female name has 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 claimed the lives of about 2,000 people. The states of Florida, Alabama, Ohio, Georgia, Kentucky also suffered. 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. The statistics on theft of property, looting, and robberies reached incredible numbers. The government managed to return life to its usual course only a year later.

"Irma"

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

Then Hurricane Irma reached Cuba. Soon the capital Havana was completely flooded. According to meteorologists, waves up to 7 meters high were observed here. Gusts of heavy wind reached a speed 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. Soon the hurricane moved to Miami, where it caused severe damage. A few days later, the Irma category dropped to a minimum. 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. Tropical cyclone caused flooding in the southern and eastern part of the Consequence was the death of more than 80 people. Following the catastrophic devastation, there has been a significant increase in theft and looting in Houston. City officials were forced to impose a curfew. Public order began to be controlled by the military.

To eliminate the damage after Hurricane Harvey in the United States, it took $ 8 billion from the budget. However, according to experts, the full restoration of infrastructure in the affected settlements, will require more significant financial injections, which are estimated at about 70 billion.

"Camilla"

In August 1969, one of the largest cyclones in history formed, which was named Camille. The epicenter of the impact fell on the United States. A natural disaster, which was assigned the fifth category of danger, hit the state of Mississippi. An incredible amount of rainfall has led to extensive flooding of areas. Researchers have not been 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.

More than 250 people went missing as a result of the disaster. About 8,900 residents of the states of Mississippi, Virginia, Louisiana and Alabama were injured to varying degrees. Thousands of houses were under water, littered with trees and covered in landslides. Material damage the state amounted to about 6 billion dollars.

"Mitch"

Hurricane Mitch caused a real disaster in the late 90s. The epicenter of the disaster fell on the Atlantic basin. In Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua, the most numerous buildings and roads were destroyed. A large number of people died. According to official figures, the element took the lives of 11,000 people. A similar number of people were added to the lists of missing persons. A significant part of African territories has turned into solid mud swamps. Cities began to suffer massive shortages drinking water. Hurricane Mitch raged for a whole month.

"Andrew"

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

Watching the news on television or radio, we from time to time come across alarming reports that somewhere on the planet the elements are raging. Hurricanes and typhoons are often referred to by reporters as female names. Where did this tradition come from? We'll try to figure this out.

Women's names as names for hurricanes were the first to be used in the United States. During the Second World War, military meteorologists, in whose department there was a monitoring of the climatic state Pacific Ocean, began to use female names to denote a particular storm. Oddly enough, these names were borne by their wives or mother-in-laws. The innovation quickly took root, and to indicate a particular typhoon, they began to use female names in all meteorological stations America. Women's names were easy to remember and contributed to the rapid transmission of accurate data between stations, ships, and bases.

There are several systems that define the naming conventions for typhoons. Without delving into all the subtleties of military weather forecasters, we note that the rule remains unshakable, according to which the most global hurricanes, which caused the death of many people, “take away” their name forever. Hurricane Katrina, which hit the American coast in 2007, will remain only one in history. No other meteorologist will call a typhoon by this female name.

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Events

Undoubtedly, everyone paid attention to what simple and sometimes gentle names researchers around the world call hurricanes.

It would seem that all the names are random. Take at least originated over the Atlantic Ocean Hurricane Earl(you can translate as Hurricane "Count"), which raged last year over the Bahamas, the islands of Puerto Rico and along the East coast of the United States.

Or Tropical Storm Fiona, which, as they say, "walked" shoulder to shoulder next to Hurricane Earl.

However, the system itself, by which hurricanes and storms are given specific names, has a long and rather complicated history.

"What's in a name?!"

As reported in US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), once hurricanes were given the names of saints.

Moreover, the saint was not chosen by chance, but depending on the day on which this or that hurricane formed.

For example, it appeared Hurricane Saint Anna, which arose on July 26, 1825, the day of St. Anne.

You may ask, how did scientists act if hurricanes were born, for example, on the same day, but in different years? In this case, the "younger" hurricane was assigned serial number besides the name of the saint.

Eg, Hurricane San Felipe struck Puerto Rico on September 13th, 1876, Saint Philip's day. Another hurricane that hit the same area also started on September 13th. But already in 1928. A later hurricane was named Hurricane San Felipe II.

A little later, the system for naming hurricanes changed, and scientists began to use the location of the hurricane to designate it, that is, the width and longitude.

However, according to NOAA, this method of naming did not catch on due to the fact that it was far from always possible to accurately and unambiguously determine the coordinates of the place of origin of one or another hurricane.

The inconsistent and contradictory radio reports coming in on this topic sometimes required a long and thorough study and screening.

So the hurricane may end up "dying" nameless while scientists calculate its coordinates to give the natural disaster a name using this method!

Therefore, the United States of America abandoned such a system in 1951 in favor of a seemingly very simple and effective alphabetical naming convention proposed by the military.

True, this method used not the usual, but the phonetic alphabet. It was then that they were born Hurricanes Able, Baker and Charlie, whose names had one pattern - the first letters of the hurricanes corresponded to the letters of the English alphabet A, B, C.

However, as it turned out, hurricanes arose more often than new ideas came to the head of scientists, and the number of tornadoes in a fairly short period of time clearly exceeded the number of letters and sounds in English language!

To avoid confusion, forecasters began using names of people in 1953.. Each name had to be approved by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Hurricane Center. (NOAA's National Hurricane Center).

Initially, all hurricanes were assigned female names. The name of the very first hurricane that was named using this technique is Hurricane Maria.

It's destructive a natural phenomenon received such a beautiful female name in honor of the heroine of the novel "Storm", which was written by the American novelist and scholar George Rippey Stewart in 1941.

As told to the magazine "Little secrets of life" (Life "s Little Mysteries) representative of the National Hurricane Center Dennis Feltgen, "in 1979, someone had the wise idea to use male names for hurricanes and since then they have been used along with female"

"You call him like me!"

Nowadays, hurricane names are chosen in Geneva, at the headquarters World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

This specialized intergovernmental agency is responsible for monitoring six weather regions in the world, including the United States of America, which forms the fourth region.

It includes North America, South America and the Caribbean region.

Especially for Atlantic tropical storms, The National Hurricane Center has created six hurricane name lists., which was discussed and approved by the WMO by voting at a special meeting of the international committee.

These lists contain French, Spanish, German, and English names because, according to NOAA, "The elements also strike at other nations, and hurricanes are monitored, studied and recorded in many countries".

These six lists of names are in constant rotation and new lists are regularly approved.

For example, in 2010, a list of names was approved, which, according to forecasts, will be used only in 2016.

Initially, the lists of hurricane names included names from A to Z (for example, among the hurricanes that raged in 1958, you can find such names - Udele, Virgy, Wilna, Xrae, Yurith and Zorna (Udele, Virgy, Wilna, Xrae, Yurith and Zorna)).

According to Feltgen, the letters Q, U, X and Z are not used in the current lists due to the fact that there are simply not enough names that begin with these letters.

However, sometimes changes are also made to the currently used lists. If the storm or hurricane was particularly destructive (for example, as Hurricane Katrina 2005), the WMO determines by special vote whether the name should be used to designate hurricanes in the future.

If one or another name is excluded from the list, it is decided to use another name starting with the same letter of the alphabet. This name is also carefully selected and approved by popular vote.

The names that are used in these lists can be arbitrarily unusual, or, on the contrary, well-known and familiar to everyone.

For example, the names planned for the 2010 hurricanes contained names such as Gaston, Otto, Shary and Virgine (Gaston, Otto, Shary and Virgine).

Do all storms have names? No, only special hurricanes get this honor! Namely, those who the funnel rotates counterclockwise, and the wind speed inside the hurricane is at least 63 kilometers per hour.

Then such a "lucky one" is assigned the next name from the list of names of hurricanes approved for this year.