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Sorting out the storms

It's the summer season of high winds and torrential rain, an occurrence in hot weather that swept half of the northern hemisphere. Liu Yujie explains the complicated nomenclature.

Many in the world may have experienced typhoons, hurricanes or cyclones - or at least know of them new, films and books. They are destructive natural forces which, when they occur at sea cause large waves, heavy rain and high winds, disrupting international shipping and sometimes causing shipwrecks.When they hit the ground, they damage or destroy vehicles, buildings and bridges - and turning debris into lethal projectiles.

These severe weather events are classified into three main groups, depending on intensity: tropical depressions, tropical storms, and a third group of more intense storms, whose name depends on their location. For example, if a tropical storm in the Pacific Northwest reached hurricane force winds on the Beaufort scale, it is considered a "typhoon", if a tropical storm passes the same benchmark in the basin of North Pacific or the Atlantic, it is called a "hurricane".In the Southern Hemisphere or the Indian Ocean, tropical storms of nature are simply called "hurricanes".

Storms can last a week or more - and more than one can occur in the same basin at the same time. Tropical cyclones are given names to reduce confusion between the forecasters and the general public when the forecasts, watches and warnings are announced.

Naming storms

Interestingly, during World War II, tropical cyclones were given names of women by the U.S. Army Air Corp and Navy meteorologists who were monitoring and forecasting of tropical cyclones in the Pacific and to name the storms, after their girlfriends or wives. In 1945, the names of these women became official and the names of men were also included beginning in 1979.

These days, the names of tropical storms are regularly made by members of the Committee of the World Meteorological Organization Typhoon.For example, as of January 1, 2000, tropical cyclones in the Northwest Pacific basin are the names suggested by Asian countries including China, Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Japan.

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