Hurricanes Image courtesy of Met office.

Hurricane names Since 1953, Atlantic tropical storms have been named from lists originated by the National Hurricane Centre & now by an international committee of the World Meteorological Organization. The original name lists featured only women's names. In 1979, men's names were introduced and they alternate with the women's names. Six lists are used in rotation. Thus, the 2006 list will be used again in 2012.

Hurricane names Short, distinctive names in written as well as spoken communications is quicker and less subject to error than the older more cumbersome latitude-longitude identification methods. These advantages are especially important in exchanging detailed storm information between hundreds of widely scattered stations, coastal bases, and ships at sea. The only time that there is a change in the list is if a storm is so deadly or costly that the future use of its name on a different storm would be inappropriate for reasons of sensitivity.

Look at the 1st letter of these 2007 Atlantic hurricane names: which letters of the alphabet are missing? Felix Gabrielle Ingrid Chantal Jerry Karen Humberto Noel Andrea Wendy Olga Dean Pablo Rebekah Lorenzo Melissa Erin Tanya Van Sebastien Barry E Q X U Y

Put these 21 2007 Atlantic hurricane names in alphabetical order (A-Z) Felix Gabrielle Ingrid Chantal Jerry Karen Humberto Noel Andrea Wendy Olga Dean Pablo Rebekah Lorenzo Melissa Erin Tanya Van Sebastien Barry Retired names: the deadliest hurricanes: http://www.usatoday.com/weather/hurricane/names-retired.htm

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Andrea Barry Chantal Dean Erin Felix Gabrielle Humberto Ingrid Jerry Karen Lorenzo Melissa Noel Olga Pablo Rebekah Sebastien Tanya Van Wendy Arthur Bertha Cristobal Dolly Edouard Fay Gustav Hanna Ike Josephine Kyle Laura Marco Nana Omar Paloma Rene Sally Teddy Vicky Wilfred Ana Bill Claudette Danny Erika Fred Grace Henri Ida Joaquin Kate Larry Mindy Nicholas Odette Peter Rose Sam Teresa Victor Wanda Alex Bonnie Colin Danielle Earl Fiona Gaston Hermine Igor Julia Karl Lisa Matthew Nicole Otto Paula Richard Shary Tomas Virginie Walter Arlene Bret Cindy Don Emily Franklin Gert Harvey Irene Jose Katia Lee Maria Nate Ophelia Philippe Rina Sean Tammy Vince Whitney Alberto Beryl Chris Debby Ernesto Florence Gordon Helene Isaac Joyce Kirk Leslie Michael Nadine Oscar Patty Rafael Sandy Tony Valerie William

Hurricane quiz RED = A YELLOW = B GREEN = C If you’re wrong you’re out of the game! Hurricane quiz RED = A YELLOW = B GREEN = C

Question 1 A What is the origin of the word "hurricane?“ A. The name of the Carib god of evil B. An Aztec word for "strong wave" C. A Portugese coastal town A RED = A YELLOW = B GREEN = C

Question 2: An Australian forecaster was the first to name tropical cyclones in the late 1800s. What did he name them after? A. Disliked politicians B. Childhood friends C. Famous philosophers A RED = A YELLOW = B GREEN = C

Question 3: When did the U.S. start using both male and female hurricane names? A. 1948 B. 1955 C. 1979 C RED = A YELLOW = B GREEN = C

Question 4: True of false? You should leave one window open during a hurricane to prevent your house from exploding. A. True B. False False RED = A (True) YELLOW = B (False)

Question 5: What type of tape should you use to protect your windows? A. Duct tape B. Masking tape C. No tape at all. C RED = A YELLOW = B GREEN = C

Question 6: In the Northern Hemisphere, which direction do a hurricane's winds rotate? A. Anti-clockwise B. Clockwise A RED = A YELLOW = B GREEN = C

Question 7: At what wind speed does a tropical storm become a hurricane? A. 74 m.p.h. B. 50 m.p.h. C. 39 m.p.h. A RED = A YELLOW = B GREEN = C

Question 8: How many Category 5 hurricanes have hit the United States since 1899? A. 3 B. 4 C. 5 A RED = A YELLOW = B GREEN = C

Question 9: The remnants of which hurricane helped form the "Perfect Storm" in 1991? A. Hurricane Bonnie B. Hurricane Grace C. Hurricane Andrew RED = A YELLOW = B GREEN = C B

Question 10: B Where is a tropical storm or hurricane the strongest? A. Front left B. Front right C. Back left B RED = A YELLOW = B GREEN = C

Question 11: Who chooses the names for tropical storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic? A. The first person to classify it as a tropical storm B. The National Hurricane Centre C. The World Meteorological Organization C RED = A YELLOW = B GREEN = C

Question 12: B Hurricane season runs from ... A. May through October B. June through November C. May through November B RED = A YELLOW = B GREEN = C

Question 13: On average, what are the peak months of the hurricane season? A. June/July B. July/August C. August/September C RED = A YELLOW = B GREEN = C

Question 14: Who was the first pilot to intentionally fly into a hurricane's eye? A. Chuck Yeager B. Joseph Duckworth C. Amelia Earhart B RED = A YELLOW = B GREEN = C

Question 15: In 1900 the deadliest hurricane in United States history took approximately 8,000 lives in which coastal city? A) Charleston, South Carolina B) Tampa, Florida C) Galveston, Texas C RED = A YELLOW = B GREEN = C

Question 16: In which year did the National Weather Service first use male names as well as female names to identify hurricanes? A) 1992 B)1979 C)1952 B RED = A YELLOW = B GREEN = C

Question 17: What's the difference between a hurricane and a typhoon? a) They’re different regional names for the same kind of storm. b) A hurricane spins anti-clockwise, while a typhoon spins clockwise. c) A typhoon is not as strong as a hurricane. A RED = A YELLOW = B GREEN = C

Question 18: In October 1998 a hurricane devastated Nicaragua and Honduras, leaving at least 11,000 people dead and more than 2 million people homeless. What was this hurricane called? a)Elena b)Gilbert c)Mitch C RED = A YELLOW = B GREEN = C

Question 19: This hurricane, which destroyed tens of thousands of homes and businesses, was the most financially destructive hurricane (to date) in the history of the United States. a) Camille b) Andrew c) Katrina C RED = A YELLOW = B GREEN = C

Question 20: A The "eye" of a hurricane is…. a) an area of relatively calm winds and fair weather found at the centre of a hurricane. b) the most destructive part of the hurricane. c) a mythical area of peace and calm found at the centre of a hurricane. A RED = A YELLOW = B GREEN = C

Question 21: C A "storm surge" is…. a) an area of relatively calm winds and fair weather found at the centre of a hurricane. b) the most destructive part of the hurricane. c) a mythical area of peace and calm found at the centre of a hurricane. C RED = A YELLOW = B GREEN = C