Natural elements are not subject to human management. And when alarming messages come from one or another part of the globe about a tornado, typhoon, hurricane, and we hear beautiful names that have nothing to do with the nature of the origin of the natural disaster. Have you ever wondered why hurricanes are called by female names? This tradition has a rationale that we have to learn today.
Arbitrary Naming for Hurricanes
In order to avoid informative confusion about hurricanes (which can occur simultaneously in different parts of the planet), it was customary to call them non-serial number hurricane 544, hurricane 545, and so on, but they were called names.
The very first names came from the scene of a disaster, or by special dates or events when this happened. For example, in July 1825, the first talk of Hurricane Santa Anna, which was named after a saint in Puerto Rico. It was on the day when the raging anticyclone broke out that the saint was celebrated in the city, there was her holiday, her calendar day.
The hurricane was dubbed the female name. You think that then the countdown began with this coordinate system? From that period of time, the tradition began to arbitrarily give names to tornadoes, typhoons and hurricanes, without a clear system or belonging to anything.
Interesting facts about naming typhoons
An interesting fact in the name of the element: at that time there was a hurricane, which very much resembled a pin in shape. From here came his name. Thus, several similar pin disasters got their name, with serial numbers in the appendix.
Another interesting method developed by the Australian meteorologist: he called the hurricanes the names of politicians who voted against funding for meteorological research.
There is a peculiarity in the nature of the manifestations of these natural disasters. Or rather: they have their own pattern. Most often, tropical typhoons occur in the autumn, when there is a difference in temperature between water and air. And also in the summer, when the ocean temperature is the highest. In winter and spring, they are almost not formed, or are extremely rare.
Why are hurricanes in America called by female names?
Perhaps, the first system of naming typhoons with beautiful names belonging to the beautiful half of humanity is hidden here. US military personnel who served in meteorological units have made it a tradition to call the elements unaffected by the names of their spouses and their female relatives. During this period, for the first time, a list was compiled of names that were alphabetically assigned to tornadoes. Names with easy-to-remember pronunciation were chosen. When the list ended, it started again.
Such a simple story, why hurricanes are given female names. It formed the basis of a new system, which began to be used not only in the United States, but also in many other countries.
The emergence of a systematization of tornado names
Everyone knows that the continents of North and South America more than the rest of the world suffer from floods, typhoons and tornadoes. There are not even a dozen American films dedicated to this natural phenomenon.
Since 1953, thanks to the idea of American employees, the naming order of the elementless element has developed. Remembering their women, perhaps in their honor or in jest, but, nevertheless, this was the reason why the hurricanes are given female names. The list, which was made up of 84 names, was fully used throughout the year. Indeed, about 120 air cyclones are formed annually on our planet.
The first month of the year corresponds to the names in the first letter of the alphabet, the second for the second, and so on. 1979 was marked by a new stage in the tornado name system. The list of female names was supplemented by male ones. It is worth noting that several tropical storms can form in one water basin at once, which means that there will also be several names. For example, for the Atlantic Ocean there are 6 alphabetical lists, each of which contains twenty-one names. If it happens that this year there will be more hurricanes than twenty-one, then the subsequent names of the elements will follow the Greek alphabet (Alpha, Beta, Delta, etc.).
In which case are male names used?
As we have already found out, several tornadoes can form simultaneously in one section of a water basin.
But why do hurricanes have female and male names? After all, it would seem that everything is simple - just add to the list other simple, but sonorous names of the fair sex. The fact is that the lists are compiled by the Hurricane Committee of the Regional Association, which concluded that the gender dimension is not ethical for naming hurricanes. Therefore, since 1979, not only female, but also male names have become part of the list of future hurricanes.
Eastern adherence to naming
The Japanese do not understand why hurricanes are called by female names. According to them, a woman is a tender and fragile creature. And by their nature, they cannot bear catastrophic disasters. Therefore, tornadoes that occur in the northern or western part of the Pacific Ocean will never be called by the names of people. Despite the tradition of designating storms, they have the names of inanimate objects: plants, trees, products, and there are also animal names.
Who forms the names of tornadoes?
As previously noted, when forming a list of future tornadoes, attention is paid to simple and sonorous names. This criterion is important. Since the exchange of information about the storm between stations, naval bases in bad weather conditions, bulky and complex names are inappropriate. In addition, in written and spoken language, easily spoken words are less prone to errors and confusion. Indeed, several tornadoes can occur at the same time, moving in different directions along the same coast.
That's why hurricanes are called by female names simple and easy to pronounce.
There is a World Meteorological Organization which is responsible for naming tornadoes, typhoons, tornadoes, hurricanes and tropical storms. They have been using the existing system since 1953. Using names from previous lists that were not previously used, new lists are formed for each year. For example, names that were not used in 2005 go into 2011, and the remaining from 2011 to 2017. Thus, lists of future typhoons are formed for every 6 years ahead.
By 2017, a new list has been formed, consisting of 6 lists of names of hurricanes that await our planet. This list is planned until 2022. Each list starts with the letter A and then alphabetically. Each list has twenty-one names.
Future names of storms cannot be names starting with Q, U, X, Y, Z. Since there are few of them and they are difficult to auditory perception.
However, some tornadoes are so destructive in their strength that his name is excluded from the list once and for all. An example is Hurricane Katrina, which swept across the southeastern shores of North America and the Caribbean. This is the most devastating typhoon in US history, the consequences of which were simply disastrous. And this is the case when the name was excluded from the list of hurricane names. So that the memories of the elements were not painful, when the turn again comes to this designation.
The opinion of ordinary people on the names of tornadoes
Not everyone knows why hurricanes are called by female names. There is a joke on this subject literally in one line. The answer is immediately clear: “Hurricanes are called by female names, because they are also frantic. And when they leave, they take your house, car and everything that is left with you. ”