One of the phenomena of nature most feared by man is the tropical cyclone,which occurs when winds exceed 119 km/h between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. The tropical cyclone can also be called a hurricane, when it forms in the Atlantic Ocean near the Central and North America, or typhoon, when formed in the Pacific Ocean near Asia, Hawaii and Oceania.
Throughout history, several hurricanes or typhoons they devastated cities and rural areas, leaving a trail of destruction and despair in their wake. Among the best known are Irma, in 2017, Matthew, in 2016, Patricia, in 2015, the hayan, in 2013, Katrina and Wilma, in 2005, Sandy, in 2002, and Audrey, in 1957, to name a few.
But how are the names of hurricanes and typhoons? Currently, there is a list of 126 hurricane names that are repeated on a six-year cycle. These names are chosen by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), based in Geneva, Switzerland, which selects names people in English, Spanish and French, as these are the languages spoken in the countries that are most affected by hurricanes.
Names are divided equally between masculine and feminine, in alternating order. For cyclones that form in the Atlantic Ocean, that is, hurricanes, there are six columns, each representing a year, with 21 names each. They follow alphabetical order, excluding the letters q, u, x, y, and z, as few names begin with these letters.
List of 126 hurricane names
In the case of cyclones formed in the Pacific Ocean, that is, typhoons, the nomenclature depends on the region of origin of the phenomenon. If it occurs in the Pacific Northwest, the nomenclature follows a list of 144 names from A to Z (excluding the letters q and u), which is also divided into six columns (years). The North Central Pacific typhoons are given Hawaiian names, a total of 48, which are used one after the other.
the names of typhoons
There are some situations that interfere with this naming pattern. When more than 21 hurricanes occur in the same year, new names are created whose initials follow the Greek alphabet (alpha, beta, gamma, and so on). This happened in the 2005 hurricane season, for example. The list also changes when devastating hurricanes such as Katrina occur. In this case, the name was replaced by Katia as of 2011.
as it was before
Current typhoon and hurricane naming standards were adopted in the late 1970s. For hundreds of years, hurricanes were named after saints honored on the day the phenomenon occurred. For example, if a hurricane occurred on June 24, it would be named St. John, and if years later another hurricane occurred on the same date, it would be named St. John II.
In the late 1800s, an Australian meteorologist named Clement Wragge began naming hurricanes after women, supposedly ones he didn't like. Later, in the beginning of the 20th century, the US military used latitude and longitude to name cyclones, which proved confusing for radio communication. So, in 1953, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), inspired by Clement Wragge, compiled an alphabetical list of common names of women to name cyclones.
It wasn't until the late 1970s that NOAA concluded that the model was sexist, and then switched between men's and women's names. Machismo may also be the cause of female-named hurricanes causing more deaths than male-named hurricanes. Researchers at the University of Illinois, United States, concluded that people don't fear hurricanes with women's names as much as hurricanes with men's names, therefore, do not prepare in the same way.
by Adriano Lesme
Brazil School Team
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/curiosidades/como-sao-escolhidos-os-nomes-dos-furacoes-tufoes.htm