It’s only polite to know the names of the hurricanes that might come to town

THE WOODLANDS, TX – Hurricane season starts June 1 and runs through November. Each year, the names of all the hurricanes and tropical storms are set by the World Meteorological Organization. The list of names originated in 1953 and included only women’s names for more than a quarter-century before men’s names were mixed into the list in 1979.

NOAA – the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – recently announced a prediction of an ‘above average’ season with up to 25 named storms, three more than what’s in the list (Q, U, X, and Z names aren’t used). Should activity stretch beyond the list length, not to worry; the WMO has Greek alphabet letters on standby.

The list of names that can be applied for everything from tropical storms to hurricanes and everything in between – tropical depressions stick with numbers – originating in the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico are: Alberto, Beryl, Chris, Debby, Ernesto, Francine, Gordon, Helene, Isaac, Joyce, Kirk, Leslie, Milton, Nadine, Oscar, Patty, Rafael, Sara, Tara, Valerie, and William.

Any unused named are rotated every six years, and the occasional name – particularly when tied to a an especially devastating storm – gets retired.