Explained | Hurricane Helene to Milton: Why and how hurricanes get their names—find out here

Have you ever wondered how hurricanes get their names and why some have female names, while others have male ones? Here are all the answers you were looking for.

Why are hurricanes named?

Hurricanes are named to make it easier for people to communicate about them. When multiple storms occur at the same time, names help boost the profile of the cyclone or hurricane, increasing public awareness and decreasing chances of misunderstanding.

To put it simply, a name is easier to remember than a string of numbers and alphabet and/or technical terms. This serves not only the public but also the media, scientific community, disaster managers, and more.

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With a name, it is easy to identify individual cyclones and hurricanes, rapidly disseminate warnings to increase community preparedness, create awareness of its development, and also remove confusion where there are multiple storm systems over a region.

For example, hurricane Helene recently hit Florida and now, in a matter of days, hurricane Milton is plaguing the same region. The names make it easy to differentiate between them and report which storm is affecting which area.

Who names these cyclones and hurricanes?

The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) maintains rotating lists of names, which are appropriate for each tropical cyclone basin.

Cyclones that form in different ocean basins across the world are named by that areas, regional specialised meteorological centres (RSMCs) and Tropical Cyclone Warning Centres (TCWCs). There are six RSMCs in the world. 

For Hurricanes, initially, a rotating list of names was maintained by the National Hurricane Center. Now, the World Meteorological Organisation maintains and updates the list.

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Why do some hurricanes have male names and other females?

The two hurricanes to hit Florida recently are called Hurricane Helene and Milton. Why does one have a female name and the other male?

Historically, hurricanes were only given female names. This was most probably because of the tradition of naming boats after women.

In 1970, this practice was revised because of increasing awareness of sexism and protests by women's rights activists.

What other storm names have been chosen for 2024?

Following are the names for the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season:

• Alberto
• Beryl
• Chris
• Debby
• Ernesto
• Francine
• Gordon
• Helene
• Isaac
• Joyce
• Kirk
• Leslie
• Milton
• Nadine
• Oscar
• Patty
• Rafael
• Sara
• Tara
• Valerie
• William

(With inputs from agencies)