2019 Atlantic Hurricane Names Released

7/16/2019 (Permalink)

2019 Atlantic Storm Names

Do you ever wonder why hurricanes are named?  It stared off in the mid 1900's when meteorologists realized that the general public cared much more, and payed attention to, storms that were given names. 

It makes it easier to reference one storm over another.  In the beginning the U.S. National Hurricane Center started naming storms in the early 1950's, but now the task has been handed to the World Meteorological Organization.  

So when does a storm receive a name?  Tropical storms are given names when they display a rotating circulation pattern and have wind speeds of 39 MPH.  If a tropical storm increases to a hurricane they keep their same name.  Smaller storms including tropical depressions do not receive names. 

Here are the 2019 hurricane names for the Atlantic hurricane season:

• Andrea
• Barry
• Chantal
• Dorian
• Erin
• Fernand
• Gabrielle
• Humberto
• Imelda
• Jerry
• Karen
• Lorenzo
• Melissa
• Nestor
• Olga
• Pablo
• Rebekah
• Sebastien
• Tanya
• Van
• Wendy