Naming Hurricanes: How and Why It Happens
Summary:
The article from Atlanta discusses the naming process for tropical cyclones, overseen by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Naming storms aids in communication, public awareness, preparedness, and historical record-keeping. The names, which rotate every six years, are chosen to be short and easy to pronounce. The WMO retires names of particularly devastating storms, with recent retirements including Otis and Dora from the Pacific Basin in 2023. The 2024 list of storm names starts with Alberto, and if exhausted, a supplemental list will be used, not the Greek Alphabet.