The Hurricane Committee of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) decided to remove the names Dorian, Laura, Eta and Iota from the rotating lists used to name the tropical cyclones of the tropical Atlantic, because of the death and destruction that the events thus named caused in the region.
#Hurricanes Dorian (2019), Laura, Eta and Iota (2020) were so destructive that the # ComiteDeHuracanes from #OMM #WMO it will stop using those names in the Atlantic basin. Dexter will replace Dorian, Leah for Laura, and the Greek letters will no longer be used. https://t.co/lJiyA3mQFw pic.twitter.com/fO7MDB6a7K
— World Meteorological Organization (@WMO) March 17, 2021
Through a publication on its website, the organization also announced that the Greek alphabet will no longer be used for the nomenclature of cyclones because it is a source of distraction when it comes to warning about dangers and storms that, in addition, can generate confusion.
The Hurricane Committee – the competent body in the matter for North America, Central America and the Caribbean – agreed to the changes in the naming convention at its last meeting, held virtually from March 15 to 17, 2021.
The WMO Hurricane Committee agreed that the Greek alphabet will no longer be used to name tropical cyclones.
Instead, there is a new supplemental list in case regular names are exhausted
Details https://t.co/VQ0gtNvo4L pic.twitter.com/71NcpjiBgi— World Meteorological Organization (@WMO) March 17, 2021
In it – the WMO publication refers – the unprecedented hurricane season that occurred in the Atlantic in 2020 has been analyzed and the last adjustments have been made in the preparations for the 2021 season, including the provision of forecasts and warnings , as well as impact evaluations, of the dangers related to winds, storm surges and floods.
Members of the Hurricane Committee, drawn from National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) from across the region, discussed the formation of named storms before the official start of the hurricane season set for June 1 and agreed that There will be no change to the official start date for the 2021 hurricane season.
The lists of names of tropical cyclones formed in the Atlantic are used in turn over a six-year cycle and, after that period, are used again, unless a storm causes as many fatalities or causes great damage. have your name removed from future lists.
In all, 93 names have been removed from the lists used for the Atlantic basin since 1953, when the current system for naming storms began to be used.
Dorian was a high intensity hurricane that affected the northwestern Bahamas in 2019. It reached Category 5 on the Saffir Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale and caused catastrophic damage, mainly in the Abaco Islands and eastern Grand Bahama , the total value of which was estimated at $ 3.4 billion. Also, more than 75% of all households on the island suffered losses. The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), a body commissioned by the Government of the Bahamas to assess the damage caused by Dorian, declared that the hurricane left 29,500 people homeless, jobless, or both. Dexter will replace Dorian on the list of names in 2025.
For her part, Laura was a powerful hurricane corresponding to the active 2020 season that reached category 4. It made landfall near Cameron (Louisiana, United States) accompanied by a devastating storm surge that rose at least five meters above from ground level. It caused 47 direct deaths in the United States and Hispaniola, and left more than 19 billion dollars in damages. During its formation and transit through the Caribbean, still as a tropical storm, it directly affected Cuba, causing the greatest losses in agriculture, housing and electricity lines. Leah will replace Laura on the list of names in 2026.
–Meanwhile, Eta and Iota, high intensity hurricanes formed in November 2020 and named with the Greek alphabet, made landfall in the same area of the Nicaraguan coast, south of Puerto Cabezas, less than two weeks apart. The two powerful tropical cyclones caused extensive flooding in Nicaragua, Honduras and other adjacent Central American countries, causing at least 272 fatalities and damage losses valued at more than $ 9 billion. Eta, now turned into a tropical storm, directly impacted the central region of Cuba, causing considerable losses in agriculture.
Precisely about the decision to stop using the Greek alphabet to name cyclones, the WMO note explained in this regard that the members of the Hurricane Committee agreed to draw up a complementary list with names from A to Z (in which no names beginning with Q, U, as well as X, Y, and Z from the Atlantic list are listed) to be used in place of the Greek alphabet when the standard list is exhausted in a given season. Names on that list may also be withdrawn and replaced when necessary.
–In the last 15 years, the annual list of names has been exhausted twice (2005 and 2020). In the case of 2020, the season started early and was very active. Nine named storms were recorded in the May-July period, an unprecedented number. In addition, it ended late as, for the first time in records, there were two high-intensity hurricanes in November, at a time of year when the season is normally in decline.
In 2020, 30 #Tropical storms named in the Atlantic. “The unprecedented amount of #Hurricanes, along with COVID-19, created the perfect storm. “Accurate and timely warnings are vital today to maximize the safety of the population.https://t.co/7uD7XAG7IM pic.twitter.com/6DVZ5kLX6v
— World Meteorological Organization (@WMO) March 17, 2021
The stage was so active that the WMO rotating list of 21 names was sold out and, for the second time in history, the Greek alphabet had to be used. However, last year’s season showed the weaknesses associated with the use of that alphabet, a fact that led to the decision not to use it again. The WMO website lists the adverse points of the use of the Hellenic system:
· More attention may be paid to the use of names from the Greek alphabet than to the actual impacts of the storm. This can greatly diminish the impact of the message and undermine its effectiveness in terms of protecting the target population.
· The translation of some letters of the Greek alphabet into other languages used in the Region can cause confusion.
· Some Greek letters (zeta, eta, theta) are pronounced similarly and occupy successive places in the alphabet. This meant that, in 2020, several storms with names that sounded very similar occurred at the same time, and this led to problems in spreading the corresponding messages that made it difficult to communicate simplified and clear.
· The consequences of Eta and Iota were severe enough for the Hurricane Committee to officially withdraw those names. However, there is no formal plan for the withdrawal of Greek names, and future use of those names would not be appropriate.
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