08/12/2023
WHY DO THEY NAME CYCLONES / STORMS?
As Cyclone Jasper approaches Milne Bay Waters from the Solomons, aiming for a direct path along the Great Barrier Reef with the anticipation of making landfall in Queensland, the history of storm naming becomes an intriguing topic. The practice of assigning names to storms has roots in various cultures and historical eras, but its modern structure emerged in the 20th century.
One of the early advocates for naming storms was Australian meteorologist Clement Wragge in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Wragge initially tagged storms with names of politicians he disliked, which gradually evolved into a more systematic approach.
The United States initiated storm naming during World War II to streamline communication and prevent confusion. Initially, storms were labeled using a phonetic alphabet (Able, Baker, Charlie, etc.) employed by the military. However, this system transitioned to using female names and eventually encompassed both male and female names for identification.
Today's structured system involves predetermined lists of names managed by meteorological organizations like the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and national meteorological agencies. This method aids in communication, awareness, and preparedness for tropical storms and hurricanes globally.
Different meteorological organizations around the world handle the naming of cyclones, hurricanes, and typhoons. For instance, the WMO oversees cyclone naming in various regions, like the Atlantic and eastern North Pacific, where the National Hurricane Center uses six rotating lists of names. When a storm forms, it's assigned the next name on the list for that year. If a storm causes significant damage or loss of life, its name might be retired and replaced to honor the affected individuals and prevent confusion in future references.
In other regions, such as the western North Pacific, cyclones are named by meteorological agencies of different countries in that area, following predetermined lists.
The primary purposes of storm naming include easy identification and communication, avoidance of confusion during multiple simultaneous storms, and raising public awareness and preparedness when a storm approaches.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-08/tropical-cyclone-jasper-queensland-coast-this-weekend-weather/103202728
