Oct 1, 2007 9:49 pm US/Eastern
Hurricane Minute: The Way Storms Got Their Names
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
Hurricanes have been getting names pretty much forever, but there was no system controlling how it happened in the old days. Sometimes the storm was just named for when it hit, such as the keys Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, or where it hit such as the great Miami Hurricane of 1926.
But it wasn't until 1950 that the National Hurricane Center put a real system in place. Despite that, it wasn't until the San Juan Bureau issued the first advisory naming the storm on September 10th, naming it Hurricane Fox.
The military alphabet that begins with Abel, Baker, Charley includes Fox was used for three years until it was switched to a list of women's names in 1953. For the rest of the 50's, various lists of women's names were used until a system of rotating lists started in 1960.
Four permanent lists of women's names were used through the 60's. In 1971, they expanded it to 10 lists of women's names. The in 1979, men's names were finally added, and that's the system we have today.
The first three male hurricanes all hit land, and two of them, David and Frederic, caused tremendous death and destruction. So it was an auspicious start for the men.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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