WMO releases hurricane names for start of the 2023 season
The 2023 Atlantic Hurricane Season starts June 1, and while no one can predict exactly when the first storm will appear, we’ve known its name for years: Arlene. The World Meteorological Organization maintains six lists of 21 names that are used in a six-year rotation. If the names on the 2023 list sound familiar, it’s likely you heard them in 2017, the year Irma was struck from the list after the storm was determined to be responsible for 129 deaths in the U.S., according to the CDC. Idalia will take its place in 2023, along with three other names that haven’t been used for tropical cyclones before.
This year’s names are: Arlene, Bret, Cindy, Don, Emily, Franklin, Idalia, Jose, Katia, Lee, Margot, Nigel, Phillippe, Rina, Sean, Tammy, Vince and Whitney.
Prior to the 1950s, tropical cyclones were tracked by the order in which they formed each year, according to NOAA. This led to confusion when multiple storms were churning in the Atlantic simultaneously. Storms are given short, distinctive names to avoid confusion and streamline communications. From 1953-1979, only female names were used for storms.
In 2021, the WMO created a supplemental list of names to be used in case the regular list was exhausted. This came after a busy 2020 season that blew through the regular list of names, plus the entire Greek alphabet, which was the previous backup plan.
NOAA’s outlook for the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season, which goes from June 1 to November 30, predicts a 40% chance of a near-normal season, a 30% chance of an above-normal season and a 30% chance of a below-normal season. NOAA is forecasting a range of 12 to 17 total named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher).