After «Daniel» | Why are storms and hurricanes called people? | The answer will surprise you
After the catastrophic repercussions of Storm Daniel in Libya, after it hit several other countries in the Mediterranean basin, many wonder why storms and hurricanes are named after some people, and how are these names chosen?
photo from a Myanmar typhoon - Source: Reuters
Giving the name «Daniel» to the Mediterranean Storm
Named as the first in the Mediterranean region, within the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season, Storm Daniel is named using a pre-list of names, rotated every year.
The name “Daniel” was chosen by the U.S. Weather Service’s Hurricane Committee.
AFTER #Morocco now #Libya
Osama Hammad, Prime Minister of the Libyan Government: The death toll from the floods has exceeded 2,000. #ليبيا #المرصدWe belong to Allah and to Him we shall return ⚠️ #العاصفة_دانيال #إعصار_دانيال #طقس_العالم #StormDaniel #Libya 📷 pic.twitter.com/48dy8dcFqg— KUMAR PANKAJ (@Headlineznow) September 11, 2023
Cyclone Pibarjoy in the Arabian Sea
Earlier about two months ago, a tropical storm hit the Arabian Sea, dubbed “Piparjoy”, which developed very quickly to the level of a tropical storm, and then into a first-class hurricane, as Storm “Pibargui” was concentrated in the Arabian Sea, and moved towards the north.
b The name “Bibarjoy” or (Bibarjoy), used in Bangladesh to denote several meanings, most notably “disaster”, and the naming of this name to the tropical situation in the Arabian Sea reflects the size of the destructive power that accompanies this type of storm, especially after its development and transformation into a tropical cyclone.
Responsible for naming storms and hurricanes
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) maintains lists of appropriate sequential names for each tropical cyclone basin that hit regions of the world, where tropical cyclones can last a week or more by a few days, so that more than one hurricane can coincide at the same time.
Who suggests hurricane names?
The list of names in a specific region is proposed by the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and approved by regional tropical cyclone bodies during their annual or biannual session, and the Western North Pacific States began using a new tropical cyclone naming system in 2000.
When did you start naming storms and hurricanes?
The naming of storms and tropical cyclones began several years ago, to help quickly identify storms in warning messages, assuming that names are much easier to remember compared to numbers and technical terms, as many see that naming storms makes tropical cyclones easier to report in the media, raises the level of attention to warnings, and enhances community preparedness, according to the World Meteorological Organization.
Why do we give short names to tornadoes?
Experience has shown that the use of short and distinctive names in oral and written messages is faster, and reduces the likelihood of error, compared to complex definition methods based on latitude and longitude.
قوافل الإغاثة تجد صعوبة في الوصول إلى المناطق المتضررة من #إعصار_دانيال بسبب انهيار الطرق المؤدية #درنة #إعصار_دانيال#العاصفة_دانيال#ليبيا
#ليبيا_تستغيث#هلا_قطر— فؤاد الشايجي (@BrenoOl12678721) September 11, 2023
Hurricanes from random to female names
Storms were initially randomly named, for example, an Atlantic storm that tore the mast of a boat known as “Antagi” was called an “Antiji” hurricane, and then the mid-twentieth century saw the beginning of the practice of giving storms female names.
When did male names for tornadoes begin?
In an effort to develop a more organized and efficient naming system for hurricanes, meteorologists decided to define storms with names derived from an alphabetical list, and in this sense the first storm to occur in a year is given a name that begins with the letter “A”, and before the end of the twentieth century, meteorologists began to give male names to hurricanes that form in the southern hemisphere.
Since 1953, the names of Atlantic tropical storms have been derived from lists drawn up by the National Hurricane Center, and now an international committee of the World Meteorological Organization periodically revises and updates them.
