Did you know - Tropical Cyclones were named after disliked politicians?

Did you know, tropical cyclones in the Australian region were originally named after disliked politicians?

Image: Severe Tropical Cyclone Debbie approaches Australia's Queensland coast on 28 March 2017 as captured by NASA's MODIS Terra satellite. Wikimedia Commons

According to legend, this practice started in the late 1890s by flamboyant Queensland meteorologist Clement Wragge, who was known for his "mop of flaming red hair and explosive temper to match". Wragge named tropical cyclones, along with intense low-pressure systems, after politicians he didn't like, and when they objected, he started naming them after their wives.

It wasn't until World War 2 when US Navy and Army Air Corps meteorologists informally gave tropical cyclones in the northwest Pacific basin women's names. During the 1963–64 tropical cyclone season, Australia adopted the convention of naming tropical storms from a pre-defined approved list of female names; the first name assigned was Tropical Cyclone Bessie on 6 January 1964. The current convention of alternating male and female names was implemented in 1975.

References:

1. Bureau of Meteorology - Tropical Cyclone FAQ
2. Wikipedia - List of historical tropical cyclone names
3. The Sydney Morning Herald - How Australia's first weather chart predicted a hunger for forecasts