Ever wondered how cyclones and hurricanes get their names? WION explains

To put it simply, a name is easier to remember than a string of numbers and alphabet and/or technical terms.

This serves not only the public but also the media, scientific community, disaster managers, and more.

With a name, it is easy to identify individual cyclones and hurricanes, rapidly disseminate warnings to increase community preparedness, create awareness of its development, and also remove confusion where there are multiple storm systems over a region.

For example, cyclones, Tauktae and Yaas hit the same region in a matter of days. Similarly, hurricane Fiona and Hurricane Ian hit the same region back to back. The names make it easy to differentiate between them and report which storm is affecting which area.

The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) maintains rotating lists of names, which are appropriate for each tropical cyclone basin.

Cyclones that form in different ocean basins across the world are named by that areas, regional specialised meteorological centres (RSMCs) and Tropical Cyclone Warning Centres (TCWCs). There are six RSMCs in the world. 

For Hurricanes, initially, a rotating list of names was maintained by the National Hurricane Center. Now, the World Meteorological Organization maintains and updates the list.

As we already mentioned, different regions have their own Regional Specialised Meteorological Centres (RSMCs) who decide the names, generally from a list of names they have. The names are suggested by member nations of the RSMC's.

Example: The Indian RSMC has 13 nations each of which suggested 13 names each.

Before the formal start of naming, tropical cyclones were named after places, objects, or saints' feast days on which they occurred.

While picking names for cyclones, there are a few rules that countries need to follow. If these rules/guidelines are met, the name is accepted by the panel on tropical cyclones (PTC) that finalises the selection:

1. The proposed name should be neutral to (a) politics and political figures (b) religious believes, (c) cultures and (d) gender
2. Name should be chosen in such a way that it does not hurt the sentiments of any group of population over the globe
3. It should not be very rude and cruel in nature
4. It should be short, easy to pronounce and should not be offensive to any member
5. The maximum length of the name will be eight letters
6. The proposed name should be provided with its pronunciation and voice over
 

Initially, hurricanes were named after the particular saint day on which they occurred. 

However, in the late 19th century, Clement Wragge, an Australian meteorologist, started giving women's names to tropical storms. In 1953, the United States also started doing this. In 1978, men's names were also added to the list.

This list, which is maintained by the World Meteorological Organization, contains six sub-lists with 21 names each; one for each alphabet except Q, U, X, Y and Z. These six lists are rotated every sixth year.

If there are more than 21 hurricanes in a year — something that will be happening more and more thanks to climate change — Greek alphabets starting with Alpha and ending with Omega will be used.
 

For the most part, yes. Here's something you might not be aware of. If a cyclone or hurricane is particularly devastating or costly, then its name is retired and replaced by another.

Example: The World Meteorological Organization announced on March 30, 2023, that the names hurricane Ian and hurricane Fiona will be replaced by two new names; "Farah" will replace "Fiona", while "Ian" will be replaced by "Idris."

Since 1953 — the year the current hurricane naming system was put in place — a total of 96 hurricane names have been "retired."