What happens with Greek hurricane names if we get a doozy

[celticdragonfly]

I found this on the wunderground.com blog today, and I know I'd been asking this question in general and I think others on my flist may have too.

I know I said this in yesterday's blog, but it bears repeating since I get asked this question all the time: There are no provisions for what to do in the event we have to retire Beta's name and replace it on the list of hurricane names. One possibility is that the storm will be dubbed Beta-2005 and the name Beta will be reused. Another possibilty is that Beta will be skipped over next time the Greek alphabet comes into use.

Also he says that Alpha may have killed more people than Wilma.

Comments

[msminlr.livejournal.com]

Considering that this is the first time since they've been naming storms that they've even GOT INTO the Greek Alphabet List, I suspect the PTB are already re-thinking the system of having ONLY one list per year for Atlantic storms. The Pacific-basin storms routinely go into their second round of names, I understand.

[celticdragonfly.livejournal.com]

Given that this is part of a long cycle upswing, sounds like they would be wise to do so. At least start coming up with names for those difficult letters of the alphabet they usually skip.

I was reading on the wunderground.com blog that they don't think that Beta will stay a hurricane and get all the way across the central American land spit - high mountains and all that - but apparently it has been done. In 1998 Hurricane Joan went across into the Pacific and was "reborn as Hurricane Miriam". There's something I'd not thought about - renaming them if they cross over. I had wondered if Alpha and Wilma had merged, what they'd have called the results.