Roberta Shares Why And How A Hurricane Gets Named

KPIX 5 Morning Weather Anchor Roberta Gonzales answers the questions you never get to ask on-air.

Q: Roberta, I hear there is a another named storm. This time "Erika". That's my name! How are storms named? -Erika Jones; San Mateo
A: Back in 1950 the U.S. National Hurricane Organization began naming storms, because they found the public has a better time identifying and remembering these storms.

Meteorologists discovered when a storm reaches winds up to 39 mph and displays a rotating circulation pattern, it becomes a Tropical Storm. By naming Tropical Storms (which many times become hurricanes) it really does help the Weather Forecaster communicate better with the public when describing a storm. Today, the World Meteorological Organization keeps track of the list of hurricane names which are selected by the folks at the Hurricane Center. The Center has a list of 26 names (one for each letter of the alphabet) for the Pacific Ocean and 6 lists of names for the Atlantic. The names rotate between Girl (Ana) and Boy (Bill). The names on these lists are rotated every six years. The only time a "name" on the list is not used again is when it has devastating and damaging  impacts on an area. For example, it is now the 10th year anniversary of deadly Katrina, and the name Katrina will never be used again for historical reasons. The name Katrina has been retired from the Hurricane list and another name now represents the letter "K".

Check out the complete list of 2015 Hurricane Names here.

I would love to hear from you! Please send weather questions, observations and photos to me, Gonzales@kpix.cbs.com and I look forward to hearing from you!