FOUR THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY

Twenty tropical storms and hurricanes have already been named in the Atlantic in 2020, with months left to go before the oceans finally settle. The breakneck pace of the 2020 season has far outpaced the 11-storm seasonal average, and only Wilfred remains on the list of names that can be assigned to storms this year. It's highly likely meteorologists will have to dip into the Greek alphabet for additional storm names — but this could be problematic.

1

STORMS APLENTY

The Greek alphabet has only been used once before, during the hurricane season of 2005. Twenty-seven named storms spun up, and six were assigned Greek letters. It worked well then, but with the looming likelihood they will be needed again this year, James Franklin, former chief of the hurricane specialist unit at the U.S. National Hurricane Center, has a concern.

2

NAMES ARCHIVED

If a hurricane or tropical cyclone worldwide is particularly deadly or costly, its name is retired and replaced, based on protocols set by the World Meteorological Organization. Since 1954, 89 names have been retired from the WMO's six-year rotating list of names. Katrina, for example, was replaced with Katia. The name Dorian, the storm that brutalized Grand Bahama and Abaco islands last year, has not been retired — because the conference at which that agenda item is addressed was cancelled due to COVID-19.

3

A SPARE SET

What if a hurricane named after a Greek letter causes widespread damage or casualties? Franklin, along with several others, proposed maintaining a bank of names reserved for only for the “extra” storms during overachieving seasons like 2005 or 2020, so it would be easy to replace if one were retired. A Greek letter, however, has no replacement.

4

HERE TO STAY, FOR NOW

We may tap into the Greek alphabet sooner this year than in 2005, when Tropical Storm Alpha formed on Oct. 22, so we may dive deeper into the letters. The WMO decided that if a significant storm designated by a letter of the Greek alphabet were retired, it would still be available for future use.