Hurricane Names
Hurricanes receive names because it reduces confusion when two or more tropical storms are happening at the same time. It’s a pretty simple concept -- Names help people remember storms and create a more effective communication process. The World Meteorological Organization is responsible for the alphabetical list of names given to tropical storms as they develop each hurricane season. Six different lists of names are used with one list getting repeated every seventh year for Atlantic hurricanes. The only time a change is made to a list is if a storm causes particularly severe damage. The name will then be retired and replaced by a new one. For example, Harvey, Irma, Maria, and Nate have been retired following the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season due to the extreme impact each storm left behind.