Lists of tropical cyclone names

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Due to their long-term persistence, and the need for a unique identifier in issuing forecasts and warnings, tropical cyclones and subtropical cyclones are given names according to policy. The following are lists from which these tropical and subtropical cyclone names are derived.

North Atlantic

North Atlantic Ocean storms are named by the U.S. National Hurricane Center from the following lists. There have been six lists of names in use since 1979 (List I). The lists make use of names from both sexes. They are in alphabetical order and lists are recycled after six years, with List I in use for the 2009 season, although the names of notable hurricanes are retired by the WMO on request. All letters of the alphabet are used except Q, U, X, Y and Z.^[1][2]

Gender alternates both between adjacent names in a list (a male name is followed by a female one and vice versa) and between initial names between lists (if one year's list starts with a female name, the next year's list begins with a male one and vice versa).^[2]

If the names on a list are all used, storms are then named after the letters of the Greek alphabet (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, etc.)^[1] Greek names, unlike the names in the regular lists, cannot be retired. In case a storm reached the magnitude that might otherwise have led to retirement, the storm would be listed with the retired names with a footnote indicating the Greek letter would still be available for future storms.^[3] The use of 21 names was established in reference to the 1933 Atlantic hurricane season which had been the record holder for the most storms in the region.^[4] This record was broken during the 2005 season, which saw 28 storms (27 named and one unnamed), and saw the first use of the Greek alphabet to name storms.^[5]

North Pacific east of 140°W

Eastern North Pacific naming follows the same scheme as the North Atlantic, but with its own lists.^[1] The present naming system was introduced a year earlier than the Atlantic system, when List IV was used anomalously in 1978, but List I was used in 1979 in parallel with that in the Atlantic.^[1] Names starting with X, Y and Z were only added in 1985 when the number of storms threatened to exhaust the list and are repeated every two years instead of every six as very few names begin with X, Y and Z (Xina was used in 1985, and Zeke in 1992).^[1] Q and U names remain unused, however. Hurricane names are retired as in the Atlantic, but names are more rarely retired as they are rarely damaging; the last hurricane or tropical storm to have its name retired was Tropical Storm Alma of 2008.^[1]

As in the Atlantic, the Greek alphabet (Alpha, Beta, etc.) would be used to name any additional cyclones if there are more than 24 named storms in one season. Unlike in the Atlantic, this has never happened in the Pacific.

Central North Pacific (International Date Line to 140°W)

Central North Pacific storms are named by the Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu, Hawaii from the following lists.^[6] The lists are used in rotating order without regard to year; the first name for a new year is the next name that was not used the previous year.^[6] The last name used from this list was Neki, in the 2009 season. The next tropical storm that forms in the Central Pacific will be named Omeka, as of the 2009 season. As with the National Hurricane Center's lists, the names of damaging storms are retired (for example, Iniki was replaced with Iolana).^[6]

Western North Pacific (International Date Line to 100°E)

Tropical Cyclones north of the Equator between the International Dateline and 100°E are named from the following lists by the Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre in Tokyo, Japan, once they reach tropical storm strength.^[7] Names are contributed by members of the ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee. Each of the 14 nations or territories submitted 10 names, which are used in alphabetical order, by the English name of the country.^[8]

Note: Names listed under United States are from Chamorro (language of the Mariana Islands), Palauan, and Marshallese. Names listed under Micronesia are from the four main languages of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). Weather offices in the FSM, Palau and the Marshall Islands are funded by and administratively under the United States' National Weather Service.

Philippines

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) uses its own naming scheme for tropical cyclones (including tropical depressions) within its area of responsibility. These names are used along with the international names in the Western North Pacific. Lists are recycled every four years and are effective from 2005. If the list of names for a given year is insufficient, names are taken from an auxiliary list. ^[9] The names that are in bold have been retired with the new names due to be announced.

North Indian Ocean

This list is effective from mid-2004 until 2009. The names will be used sequentially and once only.^[10]

Names updated 2008 IMD List

South-west Indian Ocean (05°S - 30°S & 90°E - 30°E)

Tropical disturbances are named upon reaching moderate tropical storm strength.^[11] If a tropical disturbance reaches this intensity west of 55°E, then the Sub-Regional Tropical Cyclone Advisory Centre in Madagascar assigns the appropriate name to the storm.^[11] If it reaches moderate tropical storm strength between 55°E and 90°E, then the Sub-Regional Tropical Cyclone Advisory Centre in Mauritius names the storm.^[11] New name lists are used every year, so no names are retired.^[11]

TCWC Jakarta (Equator to 10°S & 90°E - 125°E)

Tropical cyclones that develop between the Equator and 10°S and between 90°E and 125°E are assigned names by the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre in Jakarta, Indonesia. The list is effective from 1 July 2008. Names are used sequentially. Standby list B details replacement names for list A which will be added in the bottom of list A to maintain the alphabetical order.^[12][13]

Australia

The Australian cyclone authorities give cyclones names for cyclones that form around Australia. The lists are similar to the Hawaiian list in how they operate. The lists are used in rotating order without regard to year (the first name for a new year is the next name that was not used the previous year), and damaging storm names are retired. Cyclones retain their name when they are wandering in from other responsibility areas.^[14]

In the Australian region non-frontal low pressure systems of synoptic scale developing over warm waters are named whenever observations and/or Dvorak intensity analysis indicate the presence of gale force or stronger winds near the centre.^[13] It should be emphasised that an unnamed tropical system may have gales in one or more quadrants, but not near the centre.^[13]

Note:The names Hamish and Cathy were retired in June of 2009, but a replacement name has not been selected.^[15]

TCWC Port Moresby

Tropical cyclones that develop north of 10°S between 141°E and 160°E are assigned names by the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. The list is effective from 1 July 2008. Names are used sequentially. List B details replacement names for list A which will be added in the bottom of list A to maintain the alphabetical order. ^[10]

South-West Pacific Ocean (160°E - 120°W)

Tropical cyclones that form between 160°E and 120°W and north of 25°S, are monitored by the Regional Specialised Metrological Center in Nadi, Fiji. Those cyclones that move south of 25°S are named in conjunction with RSMC Nadi by the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre in Wellington, New Zealand. ^[10]

South Atlantic

Because of the rarity of tropical cyclones in the South Atlantic Ocean, there is no naming scheme for storms that occur there.

When a hurricane formed there in 2004, it was informally named Catarina after Santa Catarina in Brazil, where it made landfall. Some meteorologists, however, referred to it as Hurricane Aldonça, with the idea of using an A name for the first storm.

See also

Tropical cyclones portal

• List of previous tropical cyclone names
• European windstorm names
• List of Atlantic hurricane seasons
• List of Pacific hurricane seasons
• List of Pacific typhoon seasons
• List of North Indian Ocean cyclone seasons
• List of Southern Hemisphere tropical cyclone seasons
• List of Australian region cyclone seasons
• List of South-West Indian Ocean cyclone seasons
• List of South Pacific cyclone seasons

References

• UK Meteorological Office's list of tropical cyclone names
• Newspaper article on the origin of the current naming system

External links

• United States National Hurricane Center – RSMC Miami
• United States Central Pacific Hurricane Center – RSMC Honolulu
• Japan Meteorological Agency – RSMC Tokyo
• India Meteorological Department – RSMC New Delhi
• Météo-France – RSMC La Reunion
• Indonesia Badan Meteorologi & Geofisika – TCWC Jakarta
• Australia Bureau of Meteorology – TCWC Perth, Darwin, Brisbane
• Fiji Meteorological Service – RSMC Nadi
• Meteorological Service of New Zealand – TCWC Wellington