#cycline

Previously, hurricanes were referred to by their locations, dates, or by inconsistent appellations; using a set naming system made each storm easy to remember and easy to identify. Originally, the U.S. only used female names, a policy that definitely ruffled a few feathers. Consequently, storm-naming gender equality began in the 1970’s. Now naming hurricanes is an international effort, with each name carefully selected by the World Meteorological Organization, which insists that the storms are not named with a particular person in mind (sure…). Storms are named differently depending on if they originate in the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean. The names go in alphabetical order—the first storm of the year gets an “A” name and the last storm of the year (if there are that many) gets a “W” or “Z” name, depending on the ocean (a few letters get skipped in the middle). The names rotate on a 6-year basis, so names used this year will be repeated in 2026, UNLESS they are particularly bad. Names of storms that cause significant damage and destruction are retired (we won’t be hearing Katrina again). For a complete list of hurricane names for the next 6 years, go here: http://bit.ly/11gYo9W -CM Photo Credit: NOAA, from here: https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hant/File:Blanca_2015-06-03_1445Z_EVL.png For a longer history of the naming practice: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutnames_history.shtml