How hurricanes are named | Hey Ray
Since 1953, when a tropical system generates sustained winds over 39 miles per hour, it has been given a name.
That is the point when the system becomes a tropical storm. Alice was the first name given to a storm in the Atlantic Basin. When a storm is given a name as a tropical storm, it keeps that name as it grows into a hurricane.
For many years, hurricanes and tropical storms were given only women's names!
The National Ocean Service says that in 1978, they started using male and female names for tropical cyclones in the northern Pacific Ocean. The next year, they started using both men's and women's names in the Atlantic Basin, too.
The list alternates between women's and men's names. In odd years, the list begins with a female name. In even years, the list begins with a male name.
The names are on a six-year rotation, and usually do not change. The only reason a new name will appear on the list is if a name is retired. A name is retired when a hurricane has a large death toll or is exceptionally costly.
So, why do we name them in the first place?
The National Ocean Service says, "Over time, it was learned that the use of short, easily remembered names in written as well as spoken communications is quicker and reduces confusion when two or more tropical storms occur at the same time".
I get asked frequently who comes up with the list of tropical names.
The short answer is the World Meteorological Organization, or WMO. They have strict procedures for coming up with names that are English, Spanish, and French. They say this is to reflect the geographical coverage of the storms.
They only use 21 letters of the alphabet, too. You won't find tropical systems with names that begin with Q, U, X, Y, or Z because they want the names to be easily understood and recognizable.
Since storms started getting named, there have been two hurricane seasons where there were more than 21 named storms in a year. That was in 2005 and 2020.
When that happens, the Greek alphabet is used. 2020 had the most Greek letters used, with nine. The last named storm that year was "Iota"!
Hopefully, we don't do that again!