In 1953, the U.S. began using female names for hurricanes and, by 1979, both male and female names were used

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasts above-average activity this year, with up to 20 named storms, as many as 10 hurricanes and up to five major hurricanes. So we are going to need a lot of names for these storms. Honestly, I’m terrified each year this list comes out, praying my name isn’t on a storm that creates devastation and damage.

Here is the list of names just release by The World Meteorological Organization for the 2021 season:

Ana
Bill
Claudette
Danny
Elsa
Fred
Grace
Henri
Ida
Julian
Kate
Larry
Mindy
Nicholas
Odette
Peter
Rose
Sam
Teresa
Victor
Wanda

If all 21 names are used this year, there is a new supplemental list of 21 names that will be used after Wanda.

Here is that list, from the WMO:

Adria
Braylen
Caridad
Deshawn
Emery
Foster
Gemma
Heath
Isla
Jacobus
Kenzie
Lucio
Makayla
Nolan
Orlanda
Pax
Ronin
Sophie
Tayshaun
Viviana
Will

Prior to 2021, the Greek alphabet was used if the primary list was exhausted, but from now on, the Greek alphabet won’t be used “because it creates a distraction from the communication of hazard and storm warnings and is potentially confusing,” the WMO said in a statement.

Why – and how – do hurricanes get names?

Before they started naming storms, hurricane forecasters had to refer to storms by saying something like, “the storm 500 miles east-southeast of Miami.” But six hours later, the storm’s position would change.

Also, when more than one storm was going on at the same time, making it clear which storm was being described made the job even harder.

The names are alphabetical and each new storm gets the next name on the list. The names alternate between male and female.

There are no Q, U, X, Y or Z names because of the lack of usable names that begin with those letters.

There is a separate list for tropical storms and hurricanes that form in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Susan Saunders 6/3/21