Greek alphabet no longer to be used when naming tropical cyclones

If tropical cyclones like ‘Hurricane Eta’ had you scratching your head last year thinking, “This is Greek to me,” you weren’t alone.

The World Meteorological Organization’s Hurricane Committee has decided to no longer use the Greek alphabet to name tropical cyclones in extremely active years like 2020 when the standard list of A-Z is exhausted.

Instead, there will be a list of supplemental A-Z names that will be used, in order, if the standard list is exhausted in a particular season.

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The decision was made because the Greek names create “a distraction from the communication of hazard and storm warnings and is potentially confusing,” a WMO spokesman said.

The names for the Atlantic Basin will be:

Adria

Braylen

Caridad

Deshawn

Emery

Foster

Gemma

Heath

Isla

Jacobus

Kenzie

Lucio

Makayla

Nolan

Orlanda

Pax

Ronin

Sophie

Tayshaun

Viviana

Will

Like the standard list, there are no Q,U,X,Y,Z names for the supplemental list in the Atlantic.

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The names for the Pacific Basin will be:

Aidan

Bruna

Carmelo

Daniella

Esteban

Flor

Gerardo

Hedda

Izzy

Jacinta

Kenito

Luna

Marina

Nancy

Ovidio

Pia

Rey

Skylar

Teo

Violeta

Wilfredo

Xinia

Yariel

Zoe

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“Names on the alternate list could be retired and replaced, when required, as is done with the standard list,” the WMO said.

The WMO’s Hurricane Committee has also retired the names Dorian, Laura, Eta and Iota from the six-year rotating list of Atlantic tropical cyclone names “because of the death and destruction they caused.”

See the 7-day forecast below:

7-Day Forecast: March 17 Your 7-day weather outlook for March 17.

Cox Media Group