Why are hurricanes baptized?

Hurricanes, or tropical storms, are deadly and can cause enormous material damage. That is why authorities around the world are working together to follow their path. Then it is practical to use the same name, so that everyone knows what storm you are talking about. Especially as it can often crash several storms at once.

What names do they get?

In the Caribbean, there has been a tradition of calling hurricanes for hundreds of years after naming the weekend closest to the first day of the hurricane. Today, the International World Meteorological Organization determines names far in advance based on where in the world the weather is occurring. The names should be familiar to the population of the countries at risk of being affected.

Can different hurricanes get the same name?

Yes, because the number of names is limited, the same name can be used again and again. Tropical storms are thus not named for people but for a predetermined list. But the name of particularly devastating storms is usually deleted. For example, Mitch, the name of the storm that may have claimed up to 20,000 casualties in the Caribbean and Central America in 1998, is forever replaced by Matthew.

The naming plan for hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico and the North Atlantic Photo: World Meteorologic organization

What is a Hurricane?

A very strong tropical storm that reaches a wind speed of at least 64 knots, ie less than 120 kilometers per hour. Hurricanes get their energy from temperature differences and occur over warm ocean areas all over the earth. The word hurricane comes from the American "hurricane" and is used for storms in that part of the world. In Southeast Asia, they are called typhoons after the Chinese "tai fung".

"Gudrun" - a Swedish hurricane?

No, Gudrun was a storm where some wind gusts achieved hurricane strength. In Sweden, there is no tradition of naming storms. The devastating Gudrun should have been called the "January storm of 2005", but since the Norwegian weather service has already been able to name it Gudrun, the name got its name even in Sweden. SMHI has now agreed with its Danish colleagues to consult on naming. In Germany, Gudrun was otherwise called "Erwin".