Hurricanes and Their Names

5/2/2022 (Permalink)

This image shows the 6 lists of 21 names that are rotated every 6 years.

Do you ever wonder how hurricanes get there names? Well if the answer to that question is yes, then you're in the right spot. When it comes to determining the names of hurricanes, that is the responsibility of The World Meteorological Organization, or WMO, located in Geneva, Switzerland.  The names are split into six lists that rotate every six years. So there is a possibility that some names may sound familiar due to them being repeated. However, if the storm was greatly destructive or deadly, they remove those names from the list such as Katrina, Irma or Dorian.

The names on the list are chosen from Spanish, French and English origins, since those are the languages spoken in the countries that are impacted the most by hurricanes. Each list consists of 21 names, and sometimes there are more than 21 named storms, there is an alternate list that they can turn to. In the past, they would use Greek letter names, but have since gone away with that because it was too difficult and confusing.