Because named storms are coming earlier and forming more often in warmer Atlantic waters, meteorologists agreed Wednesday to stop using the Greek alphabet for busiest years.
But hurricane season will begin this year on June 1 as traditionally scheduled, even though meteorologists floated the idea of moving it to May 15.
A special committee of the World Meteorological Organization agreed on Wednesday to stop using Greek letters when the Atlantic runs out of its 21 names for the year, saying the practice was confusing and focused too much on the Greek letter and not so much on the danger from the storm it represented.
Also, last year Zeta, Eta and Theta, they sounded so similar that they caused problems.
The Greek alphabet had only been used twice in 2005 and nine times in 2020, in a record hurricane season.
Starting this year, if there are more than 21 storms in the Atlantic, the next storms will come from a new supplemental list headed by Adria, Braylen, Caridad and Deshawn and ending with Will. There is a new backup list for the Eastern Pacific that starts with Aidan and Bruna and ends with Zoe.
Meanwhile, the National Office for Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is recalculating what constitutes an average hurricane season.
In 2020 of the 30 natural formations generated, 13 managed to become hurricanes, including six of the major category with winds from 69 miles per hour to 110 mph on average.
Following the usual 30-year model update, the new “normal” season would have 19% more named storms and major hurricanes. And prominent experts want meteorologists to rethink how they warn people about more intense and rainy storms in the context of global warming.
“Climate change is real and it is having an impact on tropical cyclones,” said Kristen Corbosiero, atmospheric scientist at the University of Albany, New York.
During the last nine seasons in the Atlantic, seven tropical storms have formed between May 15 and the official start on June 1. Those storms have left at least 20 dead and about $ 200 million in damage, according to the world organization. For this reason, they raised to advance the beginning of the season and probably commission a study to adopt a new season.
Until now, no one understood his decision, but Nihimaya had a compelling reason: His wife, Ivis Hodgson, had a fever, and did not want to suffer in the rain with her 12-year-old niece, whom they both adopted as their daughter.
Last year, the hurricane center issued 36 “special” tropical storm forecasts by June 1, according to spokesman Dennis Feltgen. Tropical storms Arthur and Bertha formed before June 1 near the states of North and South Carolina.
“Hurricane season has changed several times since the concept of a hurricane season was envisioned,” but not since 1965, said University of Miami expert Brian McNoldy. “I think there is no harm in including the start on May 15.”