Certain names ring with infamy, so synonymous with destruction and human suffering that they prove difficult to utter without cringing. Among these are Andrew, Katrina and Sandy.
Boaters and non-boaters alike know why. These are the names of monster storms that proved so devastating and deadly that even today the names evoke frightful emotions and visions of nature on the rampage. Such is the specter of hurricanes.
For 2016, we all hope for mild Atlantic hurricane season, and that each tropical tempest turns to sea, leaving coastal regions unscathed. But if not, new names may join the list of catastrophic storms that live in infamy.
Each year the National Weather Service publishes an alphabetical list of names it has chosen for Atlantic hurricanes in the upcoming season, which stretches from June 1 to November 30. Among the candidates for this dubious recognition in 2016 are Fiona, Hermine, Ian, Otto, Tobias and Walter.
Here then is the list of 21 names with which the Weather Service will label tropical depressions that might indeed grow to hurricane proportions.
Alex
Bonnie
Colin
Danielle
Earl
Fiona
Gaston
Hermine
Ian
Julia
Karl
Lisa
Matthew
Nicole
Otto
Paula
Richard
Shary
Tobias
Virginie
Walter
Prepare for the Season: Hurricane Preparedness Guide
