2020 continues to be a record-breaking year in the tropics. Earlier this month, Tropical Storm Kyle became the earliest named K storm on record, forming earlier in the year than hurricane Katrina did in 2005. With all the talk about names, some may be wondering where these names come from and what happens if we run out of names?
The naming of tropical systems comes not from N.O.A.A. or the National Hurricane Center, but rather the World Meteorological Organization. This organization comes up with an alternating list of male and female names in alphabetical order that represent the different regions a storm may impact.
This list of names is recycled every six years. Therefore, we see the same names come up time and time again. There is an exception. If a storm is overly deadly or costly, the name is retired. Hurricane Dorian is an example of a storm name that will never be used again.
Interestingly, the list of names doesn't include every letter of the alphabet. There are 21 names each season. No storms begin with Q, U, X, Y, and Z because names do not commonly begin with these letters.
There are 11 named storms on average in the Atlantic basin during a given year. Rarely, we run into a season where all or more than 21 names are needed. In this situation, the Greek Alphabet is used to name storms. This has only happened once back in 2005 with its 27 named storms. It may happen again in 2020.
Through August 20th, there have been 11 named storms. However, the latest forecast for the 2020 hurricane season calls for 19 to 25 named storms. With the most active part of the season still ahead of us, it is looking more likely that the Greek Alphabet may be used to name storms.
