NAMES OF STORMS: Why are most big storms given female names?

THE destruction that Haiyan brought to the Philippines is awesome. The power unleashed as the typhoon roared and swept away everything in its path -- people, homes, trees, cars -- is incredible.

What is amazing is that many of the natural phenomena of such magnitude, be it a typhoon, cyclone, hurricane or tornado, are generally assigned a male's or female's name. Many, unfortunately, are given female names.

Historically, the feminine names became popular in the mid-1900s when the mast of a lone schooner named Antje was ripped off by a storm and it became known as Antje's hurricane.

Haiyan, for example, is a Chinese name for petrel, a seabird.

But it is now commonly known in the Philippines as Yolanda, a Spanish word for Violet -- a popular woman's name depicting a flower of quiet beauty, mostly purple in colour and a sign of royalty, class and sophistication.

The list could go on but suffice to say, that most were given female names. Why?

Interestingly, a source on the Internet suggested that it is compared to a woman because "they can be mysterious, hard to figure out, very intelligent but with a wicked sense of humour and full of intrigue".

Lest this might offend some, it should be pointed out that today, both these quotes are mentioned in good humour.

Perhaps the Meteorological Department would be able to shed some light on the reasons for the selection of such interesting names.

Read more: NAMES OF STORMS: Why are most big storms given female names? - Letters to the Editor - New Straits Times 


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