Why is hurricane Earl named “Earl”?

Hurricane Earl as seen from outer space.

That’s a question that the Red Cross Talks team recently asked. So, we decided to do some research on the subject. We found a blog  by ABC7 Meteorologist Steve Rudin in Washington D.C that gave us the answer:

“The naming practice began during World War II, when hurricane forecasting was in its infancy. In an effort to keep track of multiple storms happening at the same time, a formal list of names was unveiled in 1953 by the National Hurricane Center.

Today, the names are organized and updated by the World Meteorological Organization. They have created a six-year cycle that repeats starting year seven. Originally consisting of only female names, male names were added in the 1979.

Twenty-one of the 26 letters in the English alphabet are used to name tropical storms. Not included: Q, U, X, Y and Z. In the event that all the names are used during a given season, the Greek alphabet is used. This happened in 2005, the most active hurricane season on record.”

A list of this year’s names can be found here.

A name will be retired from use, depending on the severity of the storm. For example, there will never be another hurricane Hazel. See full list of retired names here.

Is your name on the list?

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