The names of Fiona and Ian can no longer be used to designate new cyclones or hurricanes formed in the Atlantic. The Hurricane Committee of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has decided to delete these names from the rotating list created for this purpose because the previous events with these names were especially devastating, that is, in part, in recognition of the victims. These two nicknames will cease to be used “following the death and destruction that hurricanes Fiona and Ian caused in Central America, the Caribbean, the United States of America and Canada,” the WMO says in an official note.
The updated list will include the names of Farrah (in Fiona’s place) and Idris (in Ian’s place).
WMO uses lists of names to help communicate storm warnings and alert people to life-threatening hazards. In this region, hurricane names are reused every six years, unless a storm is so deadly that its name is no longer used. Since 1953, when the current storm naming system began to be used, 96 names have been removed from the lists used for the Atlantic basin.
The convention used to assign names to storms arouses great interest among the population. However, it should be noted that this is only a small part of the work that the Hurricane Committee does to save lives. This focuses on operational priorities, in particular, the issuance of wind, storm surge and flood hazard forecasts and warnings, as well as the provision of impact assessments.
“Tropical cyclones are extremely deadly phenomena and a single storm can reverse years of socioeconomic development. However, the number of fatalities due to these phenomena has decreased dramatically thanks to improvements in forecasting, warnings and disaster risk reduction measures. But we can still do better,†said WMO Secretary-General Professor Petteri Taalas.
“The purpose of the United Nations initiative called Early Warnings for All is that, in the next five years, everyone has access to warnings of life-threatening winds, storm surges and precipitation, especially in small island States in development, which are among the first to suffer the effects of climate change,” he said.
Globally, tropical cyclones have caused, on average, 43 fatalities and US$78 million in losses every day, as well as accounting for one third of the deaths and economic losses caused by weather-, climate- and climate-related disasters. water, according to statistics compiled by WMO for the period 1970 to 2019. However, the number of fatalities due to these phenomena has decreased dramatically during those 50 years thanks to improved forecasting, warnings and measures of disaster risk reduction as a result of the coordination promoted by the WMO Tropical Cyclone Program.
As part of the activities to launch the Early Warnings for All initiative, the Hurricane Committee will host a high-level expert group meeting on Hurricane Early Warnings for All. Its goal is to ensure that, in the broader context of disaster resilience, the most exposed and vulnerable communities understand hurricane warnings and take appropriate action.
“The work of the WMO Hurricane Committee is essential for our nations to work together long before the next storm threatens. The consequences of a single storm can affect several countries. That is why it is essential that we have a plan, coordinate actions and share challenges and best practices,†said Jamie Rhome, Acting Chairman of the Hurricane Committee and Acting Director of the WMO Regional Specialized Meteorological Center in Miami/ United States National Hurricane Center.
“These storms often have devastating effects on the island nations of the Caribbean, causing significant economic loss and loss of life. Thanks to the work of this committee, we can all effectively and consistently communicate information related to these threats to the people we serve,†said Arlene Aaron-Morrison, newly appointed English-speaking Vice President of Trinidad and Tobago and the first woman to serve in the position. . The Spanish-speaking vice president of the committee continues to be José Rubiera, a veteran member of this body from Cuba.
As noted in the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the number of high-intensity tropical cyclones (category 4 or higher) is expected to increase worldwide due to global warming. 5), its maximum winds strengthen and its rainfall increases. Developing countries and small islands are among the first to suffer the consequences of these phenomena.
The Atlantic hurricane season officially begins on June 1 and runs through November 30. In the Northeast Pacific, the season starts earlier, on May 15.
A total of 14 named storms with winds of 63 km/h (39 mph) or higher occurred during the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season, of which 8 became hurricanes with winds of 119 km/h (74 mph) or higher. Two of them, Fiona and Ian, intensified to become first-order hurricanes, whose winds exceeded 178 km/h (111 mph), according to the end-of-season balance from the National Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). from United States.
During a hurricane season in the Atlantic basin there are, on average, 14 named storms, 7 hurricanes and 3 first-order hurricanes. The 2022 season was quieter than the 2020 and 2021 seasons, both so active that they exhausted the names from the regular rotating lists used for those years. But all it takes is one storm to make landfall to destroy communities and economies.
In the eastern Pacific basin, the season was active and 17 storms were named, compared to 15 on average. Ten became hurricanes, of which four intensified to major hurricanes.
In 2022, four hurricanes made landfall on the Pacific coast of Mexico. Agatha made landfall in southeastern Mexico in May, while Kay made landfall in the Baja California peninsula in September. Orlene and Roslyn made landfall in southwestern Mexico in late September and October, respectively.
