The Weather Notebook: New Typhoon Names

New Typhoon Names
Listen in RealAudio
Email Your Comments

Dave Thurlow, Host

A rose by any other name may smell just as sweet. But would you be terrified by a hurricane named after a flower? What about Tropical Storm Butterfly, or Hurricane Wasp? These are the colorful kinds of names that typhoons will be getting across the northwestern Pacific starting next year. Hi, I'm Dave Thurlow and this is The Weather Notebook.

Typhoon Paka - CMISS
Until now, the U.S. typhoon forecasters in Guam have been issuing typical American names like Maggie or Paul for the storms in the northwest Pacific. But the other countries of this area decided on a new system. At a meeting in the Philippines, 14 nations agreed on a list of 100 names they felt would draw the attention of the Asian and Pacific people at risk. Instead of traditional male or female names, they found a much bigger variety in the world of nature.

For instance, there's Haitang--a Chinese crabapple tree. How about Typhoon Parma? That's a dish in Macau made with ham, liver and mushrooms. People in the Philippines might have to take cover from Typhoon Cimaron, which is named after a wild ox. On the more delicate side, we have Kularb, a rose in Thailand, or Sonca, a Vietnmese songbird.

The new system is organized by the Hong Kong Observatory. One of their entries is Kai-tak, the name of Hong Kong's old airport. As for here in the US, no such naming system is in the works. I guess tropical storm turkey, or hurricane O'hare, would be considered to be a little bit off beat.

Thanks to Weather Notebook writer Bob Henson. Our show is produced by Bryan Sejvar and engineered by Sean Doucette. Music is written and performed by Georg Brandl. Our show is underwritten by Subaru, with major support provided by the National Science Foundation.