Here's why names Fiona and Ian have been 'retired' from UN's hurricane roster

The World Meteorological Organization has removed the names Ian and Fiona from its rotating list of storm names. The decision as per AFP was taken due to the death and destruction HurricaneIan and Hurricane Fiona caused last year. Meteorologists, during a meeting in Costa Rica, came to the conclusion that the future usage of the names could be upsetting. Ian and Fiona will be replaced by two new names; "Farah" will replace "Fiona", while "Ian" will be replaced by "Idris."

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Storms are named to make identifying them easier in warning messages. AFP reports that throughout the annual Atlantic hurricane season — officially runs from June 1 to November 30 — storms are assigned alternating male and female names in alphabetical order.

These names are reused once every six years. However, if a hurricane has been particularly devastating, its name can be retired.

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

Last year's Hurricane Fiona was the costliest extreme weather event on record in Atlantic Canada. It claimed 29 lives and, as per AFP, caused over $3 billion in damages. The large, powerful and destructive category-four Atlantic hurricane, hit communities in the Antilles, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, before moving on to strike Canada as a strong post-tropical cyclone in mid-September.

Hurricane Ian came soon after. It was one of the most powerful stormsin American history. It struck Cuba before hitting the United States as a category four hurricane. The powerful storm killed 150 in the US and caused more than $112 billion in damages; it was the costliest hurricane in Florida's history.

(With inputs from agencies)

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