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By Jenna Sundel
News Reporter
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As hurricane season is upon us, the National Hurricane Center announced the names that will be used for this year's storms.
NHC Communications Public Affairs Officer Maria M. Torres explained how storm names are selected to Newsweek.
"Since 1953, Atlantic tropical storms had been named from lists originated by the National Hurricane Center," Torres said. "Contrary to popular belief, the National Hurricane Center does not exclusively name Atlantic tropical storms.
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"Rather, the list of names is maintained and updated by the Hurricane Committee of the World Meteorological Organization Region IV. NHC represents the United States on this committee," she told Newsweek.
There are six total lists of names used for tropical storms that are rotated each year. This means that the names from this year will be used in 2030, with one major exception.
"The only time that there is a change in the list is if a storm is so deadly or costly that the future use of its name on a different storm would be inappropriate for reasons of sensitivity," Torres said.
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When that happens, a vote to remove the name is held at the annual WMO Region IV meeting. If that vote is successful, members vote again on a new name. Torres explained the criteria each name on the list typically meets.
"Names selected are usually, but not always, common names," Torres said. "They are also representative of the ethnicity of the region. In the Atlantic basin, the names are of English, Spanish, Portuguese origin, and a few French."
Here are the names that will be used in 2024
Until recently, the Greek alphabet was used to name storms if there were no names left on the list for that year. This first time the Greek alphabet was used was in 2005, a year with several major hurricanes, including Katrina, Rita and Wilma, which were all retired as names. That year, six letters of the Greek alphabet were used.
The Greek alphabet was used again in 2020, which Torres said was "a record-breaking year" for tropical storms. There were 30 total, and nine letters from the Greek alphabet were used, including devastating hurricanes Eta and Iota.
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In 2021, the WMO Regional Association IV Hurricane Committee voted to stop using the Greek alphabet to name storms. Now, the committee uses two supplemental lists of names, one for the Atlantic Ocean and one for the Pacific Ocean.
The rules used for naming storms vary by region. For example, the North West Pacific and North Indian Ocean region uses gender neutral names and never reuses names.
The first storm of the year in the Atlantic, Alberto, has not made an appearance yet, marking the latest hurricane season start in 10 years.
The last time a hurricane season started this late was in 2014, when Hurricane Arthur formed in the Atlantic Ocean near Florida on July 1.
From 2015 to 2021, a storm was recorded before the "official" start of hurricane season on June 1.
While the late start may seem unusual based on recent years, the average start date based on the 1991-2020 hurricane seasons is June 20, The Weather Channel reported.
This year's hurricane season is expected to be more active due to several factors, such as near-record high temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean, La Nina conditions in the Pacific Ocean and reduced trade winds, according to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) press release.
NOAA is predicting 17 to 25 total named storms, with around 4 to 7 becoming major hurricanes.
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