Who named the storms and why TRAMI and not something else?

Why name storms?

First of all, we need to understand why storms need names. In fact, names not only help us remember and track them, but are also essential for timely and accurate information transmission. Imagine a beautiful day, meteorologists announce a storm without naming it, for example: "A strong storm is approaching the Central region, the 9th storm of the year!" - it sounds unattractive and can also cause people to confuse it with other storms. Therefore, naming helps people recognize it faster, thereby responding promptly to the risks that the storm brings.

But why not simply name it "Hurricane No. 1" or "Hurricane No. 2"? According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), hurricanes were originally named after saints associated with the day the storm made landfall. For example, the Santa Ana hurricane that made landfall on July 26, 1825, was named after the Christian Saint Anne.

The list of hurricane names has been adopted by the WMO.

If two hurricanes make landfall on the same day, the newer hurricane gets a suffix added to its name. For example, the hurricane that made landfall in Puerto Rico on September 13, 1876 was named San Felipe, and another hurricane that made landfall on September 13, 1928 was named San Felipe II.

Scientists then use the latitude and longitude information to name storms. However, this method makes the process of identifying storms cumbersome and confusing.

By 1953, weather forecasters in the United States were using names assigned by the National Hurricane Center (a division of NOAA). Scientists at NOAA would give each storm a unique name.

Interestingly, scientists initially used female names for hurricanes, with the first hurricane to be named Maria, named after the female protagonist in the 1941 novel "Storm" by American writer George Rippey Stewart.

However, as the feminist movement grew, scientists realized that using female names for hurricanes was somewhat sexist. So by 1979, scientists at NOAA were using male names for hurricanes and alternating between gender names.

It was NOAA that initiated the naming of hurricanes, however, these names were initially used within the United States and its Western allies.

What is special about the process of naming storms?

Back to the question that many people ask: "Who names hurricanes?" Lest you imagine a meteorologist sitting on a chair and randomly picking a name, the reality is that this is strictly managed by an international organization called the Hurricane Committee of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Each region of the world has a list of hurricane names that are prepared in advance and used in rotation, often for many years.

In the Northwest Pacific region, where Vietnam often suffers from storms, the list of storm names has been contributed by member countries in the region, including Vietnam. These countries proposed names based on cultural factors, nature, animals or even characteristics of their country. For example, Vietnam has contributed names such as "Son Tinh", "Bac Lieu", and "Con Voi", "Son Ca", "Sao La", ... to the list.

According to the latest update on storm TRAMI from the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, at 1 p.m., the center of storm Trami was located at about 13.5 degrees North latitude; 126.5 degrees East longitude, in the sea east of the central Philippines. Illustrative photo.

Where did the name storm TRAMI come from?

Talking about TRAMI - the name of this storm, many people will surely wonder: "What is TRAMI? It sounds strange, does it mean anything?".

According to the representative of the National Center for Hydrometeorology, the name of the storm TRAMI was given by Vietnam. TRAMI in Vietnamese is a flower of the rose family. Camellia flower is also known as Son Tra flower, the flower's scientific name is Camellia Japonica, belonging to the genus Che. The flower originates from East Asia.

In particular, for Vietnam, the General Department of Hydrometeorology proposed 20 names for storms to submit to WMO, but then the WMO Storm Committee in the region only selected 10 names nominated by Vietnam, including Conson, Saola, Songda, Sontinh, Lekima, Sonca, Bavi, Tramy, Halong, Vamco.

However, the name Sontinh was later proposed by Vietnam to be removed from the list of names for storms because this is a god symbolizing efforts to fight against natural disasters and floods in the nation's legend, so using "Son Tinh" to name storms is inappropriate.

The list of storm names is reused every six years. For example, the list of storms in 2023 will be reused to name storms in 2029.

Although storm names are used periodically, some names are permanently “retired” from the list. This happens when the storm is so destructive, causing severe damage and having a profound impact on the lives of its people. Affected countries often request that the name be removed from the list to avoid bringing up painful memories. For example, names like Haiyan (2013), Katrina (2005), and Linda (1997) were all removed after causing extensive damage. Once a storm name is retired, a new name is added to the list to replace it.

Source: https://danviet.vn/ai-da-dat-ten-cho-nhung-con-bao-va-tai-sao-lai-la-bao-trami-chu-khong-phai-ten-khac-20241022153413635.htm