Did You Know?

Tropical depressions, tropical storms, and hurricanes are named, but how do they get their names? Would it surprise you to know that these storms get their names from pre-existing lists?

Each year, meteorologists and weather scientists study weather patterns to determine if a storm over the ocean will become a cyclone, or a weather system where the winds are spiraling inward. When it does, it can be classified as a tropical depression, tropical storm, or a hurricane, depending on the wind speeds. When the cyclone becomes one of these, it is given a name. This helps meteorologists better communicate about the storms.

The names that meteorologists use come from one of six lists. Each list is rotated out, so that every six years the same list is used. Names on the list may vary slightly from year to year. There can be several reasons for this, but one of the most widely known reasons is that hurricanes causing particular devastation will have their names retired, thus changing the list slightly!

Scientists use satellite images as well as information gathered from pilots who fly near the weather systems to collect data about wind speeds to track and classify tropical depressions, tropical storms, and hurricanes.

Though these cyclones can occur anywhere along the equator, hurricane isn't a term used everywhere. The cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean are called hurricanes, but cyclones forming in the Northwest Pacific are called typhoons... and cyclones forming in the South Pacific or Indian Ocean are simply called tropical cyclones. No matter what the name is, these storm can pack quite a punch! Due to their storm surge, heavy rains, and high winds, they're a triple threat of destruction.