For several hundred years, damaging hurricanes were named after the saint’s day when the storm hit. For example, there was Hurricane Santa Ana which hit Puerto Rico on July 26, 1825. According to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, there are saint’s days for about a third to a half of all days.
Then, Australian meteorologist Clement Wragge began giving women’s names to tropical storms before the end of the 19th century, according to the National Weather Service. [Source]
Well I am certainly glad they changed that practice. I think they should name hurricanes after politicians, after all damage caused by so much hot air would be appropriate.
12 comments
Actually, back then, there were Feast Days on the Roman Calendar for about 95% of days, and there was always the Martyrology to turn to on that rare Ferial. But gee, aren’t you glad they “cleaned up” that mess with the Novus Ordo Kalendar? What an embarrassment of Saints, eh? Wouldn’t want that, no sir…
So, what would Katrina be called under the old naming system?
So… who’d want to be reminded of the politicians? Hmmm?
What I don’t get is why they don’t use a numbering or code system, like they do with stars. They do name stars after people … when they pay to have their name stuck on them. But that would not work with hurricanes.
But perhaps metereology is not as good a science as astronomy…
Let’s see, if Katrina hits tomorrow, she’d be Hurricane Linus. Or Thecla, if you really wanted a female name.
Or even better, she could be “The Great Ember Friday Hurricane of aught-five”
Dear Jeff,
If NOAA tried to name a hurricane after a politician, the’ir funding would dry up in a heartbeat. Of course, Hurricane Gore might be a fun one, especially with the global warming issues.
GFvonB:
There are still a lot of saints on the liturgical calendar, even if not quite as many days are “taken” as before; and there is still a martyrology with even more saints’ days.
Andy,
A meteorologist of my acquaintance tells me that an Australian forecaster in the early 1900s named cyclones after politicians.
That makes sense. Lots of place names in the New World derive from the day that they were found by some Catholic explorer or other. Hence Easter Island, Christmas Island, and various saint-name islands in the Caribbean.
Come on guys, can’t we be a little more interfaith? What about naming the storms after secular holidays like Kwanza, or people like Calvin, Peter Popov, or why not Tammy Faye? Charles Taze Russell?
I vote for politicians. (I mean in reference to hurricanes, I try to avoid politicians in November. I prefer statesmen.) We could use the news of the day for the naming process. Hurricane Durbin hit a few months back. The blowhards trashing on Roberts could represent the category 5s in the last few weeks. Hurricane Kennedy would have been a good name for Katrina. Drowndings and coverups galore.
Comments are closed.