Because named storms are coming sooner and forming more frequently in warmer Atlantic waters, meteorologists agreed Wednesday to stop using the Greek alphabet for the busiest years.
But the hurricane season will begin this year on June 1 as traditionally scheduled, although meteorologists raised 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 the 21 names it has for the year, saying the practice was confusing and focused too much on the letter. Greek and not so much in the danger of the storm it represented. Also, last year Zeta, Eta and Theta, 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 complementary list headed by Adrian, Braylen, Charity and DeShawn and ending with Will. There is a new support list for the Eastern Pacific that starts with Aidan and Bruna and ends with Zoe.
Meanwhile, the National Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is recalculating what constitutes an average hurricane season. If it follows the usual 30-year update of the model, the new “normal” season would have 19% more named storms and big hurricanes. And prominent experts want meteorologists to reconsider how they warn people about more intense and rainy storms in the context of global warming.
“Climate change is real and is having an impact on tropical cyclones,” said Alben University, New York atmospheric scientist Kristen Corbosiero.
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Over the past nine seasons in the Atlantic, seven tropical storms have formed between May 15 and the official start on June 1. These storms have left at least 20 dead and about $ 200 million in damage, according to the world organization. Therefore, they proposed advancing the start of the season and probably commissioning a study to adopt a new season.
Last year, the hurricane center issued 36 “special” forecasts of tropical storms before June 1, according to spokesman Dennis Feltgen. Tropical Storms Arthur and Bertha formed before June 1 near the states of North and South Carolina.
“The hurricane season has changed several times since the concept of a hurricane season was imagined,” but not since 1965, said University of Miami expert Brian McNoldy. “I don’t think it’s wrong to include the boot on May 15.”