The “damn” letter “I” of tornadoes has an explanation in science

People are rescued from a flooded neighborhood in Laplace, Louisiana, United States, on August 30, 2021, in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida. | Patrick T Fallon/AFP/Metsoul Meteorology/Archives

“damn” the letter “i” in tornadoes. Isabelle. Ivan. Ike. Erin. sister. Ida. Ian. All violent tornadoes, occurring since 2003, have a common vowel. there question? Why do so many devastating hurricanes start with the same letter? Just a coincidence or is there a scientific explanation?

Since 1953, storms have been given human names to make them easier to identify. For 26 years they were only given female names, but in 1979 the male and female alphabetical lists used today were introduced.

Names associated with storms that cause massive loss of life or property damage are struck out, or “retired,” by the World Meteorological Organization. The idea of ​​permanently withdrawing the storm’s name began after the hurricane season of 1954, when Carol, Edna, and Hazel devastated the East Coast.

Since that fateful year, nearly a hundred names have been removed from the lists, and there are more names beginning with the letter “I” than any other. Names of retired North Atlantic tropical cyclones beginning with the letter “I” include Aeon (1955), Inez (1966), Eris (2001, Isidore (2002), Isabel (2003), Ivan (2004), Ike (2008)), Igor (2010), Erin (2011), Ingrid (2013), and Irma (2017).

The abundance of devastating “I” storms isn’t entirely surprising: They tend to coincide with the typical peak period of hurricane season, between mid-August and late September.

With warm ocean temperatures and the absence of strong winds at high altitudes, conditions are usually ideal for hurricane development when they reach the “I” on the alphabetical list of storms.

Over the past 50 years, the average “I” or ninth storm forms on September 23, near the end of the peak hurricane season. But during the active seasons, which produce some of the most extreme tornadoes, the average date is about two weeks earlier and coincides with the most active part of the peak hurricane period.

Today another hurricane with the letter “I” could make history, and with its high potential and damage it has everything to cross off the lists and retire its name. Idalia hit Florida this Wednesday as a hurricane that the US Weather Service described as “extremely dangerous” and, combined with winds in excess of 200 km/h, should cause a “potentially catastrophic” storm surge on the coast. .