how are storms named in US?
In the United States, storms, particularly hurricanes and tropical storms, are named by the National Hurricane Center (NHC), part of the National Weather Service (NWS). The naming system is meant to make communication about these storms easier and clearer. Here’s how the process works:
- Pre-Determined Lists:
- There are six lists of names, one for each year, that are recycled every six years. Each list contains 21 names, and they are used in alphabetical order.
- The lists alternate between male and female names.
- The names are selected by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which ensures that they are culturally diverse and appropriate.
- Naming a Storm:
- When a tropical storm or hurricane develops, it is given a name once it reaches a certain level of intensity—specifically when it reaches tropical storm strength (winds of 39 mph or higher).
- The name is used to refer to that storm for the remainder of its life.
- Retiring Storm Names:
- If a storm is particularly deadly or costly, its name may be retired out of respect for the victims. This happens through a vote by the World Meteorological Organization. For example, names like “Katrina” (2005) and “Harvey” (2017) were retired due to the significant damage and loss of life they caused.
- Naming Conventions:
- The names are chosen from a list for each Atlantic hurricane season (which runs from June 1 to November 30) and each Pacific hurricane season.
- The names do not repeat in the same year, so if multiple storms form, they move down the list until it’s exhausted.
- If there are more than 21 named storms in a year (which is rare), the Greek alphabet was used to name subsequent storms (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, etc.), though this practice was recently discontinued due to confusion.
So, storm names help make it easier for the public and media to follow and communicate about these events, and the naming system is designed to be systematic and non-offensive.
Also read: Packaged drinking water: भारत में बढ़ती मांग और चुनौतियाँ – Website news