<p>Each time a cyclone, hurricane or typhoon hits the headlines, it is referred to by a catchy name. How do these storms get their names? It turns out that there is now a method to madness. Historically, tropical storms, including cyclones, hurricanes and typhoons, were named arbitrarily, depending on where and when they occurred.</p>.<p>For instance, if the winds ripped off the mast of a well-known boat, the locals would name it after the boat. In the Caribbean, hurricanes were named after the day of the Saint on which they occurred. Unsurprisingly, there was a high chance that two cyclones, occurring thousands of miles away, had the same name, and confusion ensued.</p>.<p>As our understanding of tropical storms evolved, we needed better ways to identify them for easy communication. In the late 19th century, an English-born Australian meteorologist called Clement Lindley Wragge began the first convention of naming tropical storms and low-pressure areas. In alphabetical order, he first used Greek letters, then names from Roman and Greek mythology, female names and names of politicians.</p>.<p>This practice continued well into the early 1900s and gradually included male names. Some countries, like the United States, developed a predefined list, ordered alphabetically, from which names were picked. </p>.<p>Today, the World Meteorological Organisation’s Tropical Cyclone Committees make naming decisions on tropical storms originating in a specific ocean basin. The Tropical Cyclone Regional Body for that basin meets regularly to determine a list of names. New names are added to the list when old names are taken off—either because they cause catastrophic damages (such as Katrina or Irma) or are offensive.</p>.Similipal Tiger Reserve in Odisha opens for tourists after cyclone Dana.<p>The names on the list are repeated every few years. The countries in those basins get a chance to suggest locally identifiable names and resonate with people. For instance, cyclones in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal are named by the Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre (RSMC) in Delhi, which has eight contributing countries, including India, and eight lists in use. India’s contributions include Agni, Akash, Bijli, Jal, Lehar, Megh, Sagar and Vayu. Cyclone Amphan, which hit India in 2020, was a name suggested by Thailand and was on the eight list. </p>
<p>Each time a cyclone, hurricane or typhoon hits the headlines, it is referred to by a catchy name. How do these storms get their names? It turns out that there is now a method to madness. Historically, tropical storms, including cyclones, hurricanes and typhoons, were named arbitrarily, depending on where and when they occurred.</p>.<p>For instance, if the winds ripped off the mast of a well-known boat, the locals would name it after the boat. In the Caribbean, hurricanes were named after the day of the Saint on which they occurred. Unsurprisingly, there was a high chance that two cyclones, occurring thousands of miles away, had the same name, and confusion ensued.</p>.<p>As our understanding of tropical storms evolved, we needed better ways to identify them for easy communication. In the late 19th century, an English-born Australian meteorologist called Clement Lindley Wragge began the first convention of naming tropical storms and low-pressure areas. In alphabetical order, he first used Greek letters, then names from Roman and Greek mythology, female names and names of politicians.</p>.<p>This practice continued well into the early 1900s and gradually included male names. Some countries, like the United States, developed a predefined list, ordered alphabetically, from which names were picked. </p>.<p>Today, the World Meteorological Organisation’s Tropical Cyclone Committees make naming decisions on tropical storms originating in a specific ocean basin. The Tropical Cyclone Regional Body for that basin meets regularly to determine a list of names. New names are added to the list when old names are taken off—either because they cause catastrophic damages (such as Katrina or Irma) or are offensive.</p>.Similipal Tiger Reserve in Odisha opens for tourists after cyclone Dana.<p>The names on the list are repeated every few years. The countries in those basins get a chance to suggest locally identifiable names and resonate with people. For instance, cyclones in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal are named by the Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre (RSMC) in Delhi, which has eight contributing countries, including India, and eight lists in use. India’s contributions include Agni, Akash, Bijli, Jal, Lehar, Megh, Sagar and Vayu. Cyclone Amphan, which hit India in 2020, was a name suggested by Thailand and was on the eight list. </p>