Cyclone Debbie is expected to hit the Queensland coast early on Tuesday morning as it intensifies into to a “very dangerous” category four cyclone, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has warned.
The cyclone, which is expected to sustain winds of up to 200 kmh and cause flash flooding, is the biggest seen in Queensland since cyclone Yasi in 2011.
But why is this weather system named Debbie?
Almost a decade ago, the Bureau of Meteorology introduced an official list of 104 names for cyclones in the Australian region.
“The name of a new tropical cyclone is usually selected from this list of names,” says the BOM website.
“If a named cyclone moves into the Australian region from another country’s zone of responsibility, the name assigned by that other country will be retained. The names are normally chosen in sequence, when the list is exhausted, we return to the start of the list.”
| Australian Region Names (Pronunciation in brackets) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Anika | Anthony | Alessia | Alfred | Ann |
| (ah-ni-ka) | (an-thuh-nee) | (ah-les-ee-uh) | (al-fred) | (an) | |
| B | Billy | Bianca | Bruce | Blanche | Blake |
| (bil-ee) | (bee-ahng-kuh) | (broos) | (blanch) | (bleyk) | |
| C | Charlotte | Courtney | Catherine | Caleb | Claudia |
| (shahr-luht) | (kawrt-nee) | (kath-rin) | (kei-luhb) | (klaw-dee-uh) | |
| D | Dominic | Dianne | Dylan | Debbie | Damien |
| (dom–uh-nik) | (dai-an) | (dil–uhn) | (deb-ee) | (dei-mee-uhn) | |
| E | Ellie | Errol | Edna | Ernie | Esther |
| (el-ee) | (er–uhl) | (ed-nuh) | (ur-nee) | (es-ter) | |
| F | Freddy | Fina | Fletcher | Frances | Ferdinand |
| (fred-ee) | (fee-nuh) | (flech-er) | (fran-sis) | (fur-din-and) | |
| G | Gabrielle | Grant | Gillian | Greg | Gretel |
| (gab-ree-el) | (grant) | (jil-ee-uhn) | (greg) | (gre-tuhl) | |
| H | Herman | Hayley | Hadi | Hilda | Harold |
| (hur-muhn) | (hei-lee) | (hah-dee) | (hil-duh) | (har–uhld) | |
| I | Ilsa | Iggy | Ivana | Irving | Imogen |
| (il-suh) | (ig-ee) | (ee-vah-nuh) | (ur-ving) | (im–uh-jen) | |
| J | Jasper | Jenna | Jack | Joyce | Joshua |
| (jas-per) | (jen-uh) | (jak) | (jois) | (josh-oo-uh) | |
| K | Kirrily | Koji | Kate | Kelvin | Kimi |
| (kier–uh-lee) | (koh-jee) | (keit) | (kel-vin) | (kim-ee) | |
| L | Lincoln | Luana | Laszlo | Linda | Lucas |
| (ling-kuhn) | (loo-ah-nuh) | (laz-loh) | (lin-duh) | (loo-kuhs) | |
| M | Megan | Mitchell | Mingzhu | Marcus | Marian |
| (mee-guhn) | (mich–uhl) | (mingzoo) | (mahr-kuhs) | (mar-ee-uhn) | |
| N | Neville | Narelle | Nathan | Nora | Noah |
| (nev–uhl) | (nuh–rel) | (nei-thuhn) | (nawr–uh) | (noh–uh) | |
| O | Olga | Oran | Olwyn* | Owen | Odette |
| (ol-guh) | (aw-ran) | (ol-win) | (oh–uhn) | (oh-det) | |
| PQ | Paul | Peta | Quincey | Penny | Paddy |
| (pawl) | (pee-tuh) | (kwin-see) | (pen-ee) | (pad-ee) | |
| R | Robyn | Riordan | Raquel | Riley | Ruby |
| (rob-in) | (rier-duhn) | (rah-kel) | (rai-lee) | (roo-bee) | |
| S | Sean | Sandra | Stan | Savannah | Seth |
| (shawn) | (san-druh) | (stan) | (suh–van–uh) | (seth) | |
| T | Tasha | Tim | Tatiana | Trevor | Tiffany |
| (tash–uh) | (tim) | (ta-tee-ah-nuh) | (trev-er) | (tif–uh-nee) | |
| UV | Vince | Victoria | Uriah | Veronica | Vernon |
| (vins) | (vik-tawr-ee-uh) | (yoo-rai–uh) | (vuh–ron-i-kuh) | (vur–nuhn) | |
| WXYZ | Zelia | Zane | Yvette | Wallace | |
| (ziel-ee-uh) | (zein) | (ee-vet) | (wol-is) |
The bureau says they receive “many requests” from the public to name tropical cyclones after friends, family or themselves.
But they say it may take “many decades” for a suitable name slot to become available and if approved it could take another 20 years.
So even if your name gets chosen, “it is likely to be well over 50 years before your requested name is allocated to a cyclone”, according to BoM.
Cyclones that have caused significant damage, like Tracy or Larry, are “retired” and replaced with another name.
“A name may be skipped if it is not deemed appropriate when it is due to be used (eg it is the same as the name of a public figure who is in the news for a sensitive or controversial reason),” the BoM site states.
It looks like next on the list is so next in sequence are Ernie, Frances, Greg, Hilda and Irving.
“We have enough names now to last around 10 years based on the current rate of cyclone formation,” the bureau’s senior forecaster, Neil Bennett, told the ABC.
For more information on Cyclone Debbie, check the Twitter account @BOM_Qld and website www.bom.gov.au/cyclone.
Top Comments
I've read that, initially, this tradition started in Australia whereby female names were chosen on the basis of them being the names of women married to disliked Aussie politicians.
Cyclone shaming is a thing.
I did not know that. In my honest opinion, the names need to sound meaner.
Cyclone Sauron has hit the Eastern Coast while Cyclone Voldemort lingers on the Western seaboard and is building up has a better ring to it than Cyclone Neville.
On QI they said that storms named after women cause more injuries etc, because people take them less seriously - women's names are less threatening. I think you might be on to something here!
Neville always kicks ass in the end ok. Don't underestimate Neville
Hahahahahahaha this!! Cyclones are not funny and I'm living in Townsville but at least people might be able to have a small glimmer of happiness laughing at a silly name like cyclone voldemort.
Yes, I remember that and if that's an observed habit, we need to be toughening up the names used. Cyclone Hitler or Cyclone I Am Going To F*** Your S*** Up. Cyclone Narelle just sounds like she's going to bum a couple of ciggies off you.