[News Terms] The National Hurricane Center That Determines Hurricane Categories and Names

The United States National Hurricane Center (NHC) monitors the activity of tropical cyclones such as hurricanes occurring in the Atlantic and Northeastern Pacific and provides forecasts for tropical cyclones in these regions. It is located in Miami, Florida, and is part of the Tropical Prediction Center under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

A hurricane is a type of tropical cyclone recognized when the central wind speed exceeds 34 meters per second, with names and categories assigned by the NHC. On average, about 10 hurricanes occur annually along the Atlantic coast, including the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. The term originates from the Spanish word "huracan," meaning "god of storms."

U.S. President Joe Biden (second from the right) is seen talking with residents during his visit to the beach in Fort Myers, Florida, which was damaged by Hurricane Ian, on October 5 last year (local time).
[Photo by AP Fort Myers/ Yonhap News]
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Typhoons in the East Asian region have a lower threshold of 25 meters per second. Tropical cyclones forming outside the Atlantic in the North Pacific that cross the International Date Line eastward are called hurricanes, while those moving westward are called typhoons.

The intensity of hurricanes is classified using the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale (SSHS). It is categorized by 1-minute average wind speeds and includes seven categories covering tropical depressions and tropical storms. The classifications are Tropical Depression (TD), Tropical Storm (TS), and Hurricanes (HU) from categories 1 to 5, with names assigned starting from the TS stage. However, hurricanes forming in the Central North Pacific are named by the Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Hawaii.

For hurricanes in the North Atlantic, six lists of 21 names each are prepared annually, excluding the letters Q, U, X, and Z. If all names are used, Greek letters such as Alpha and Beta are assigned sequentially. When the year changes, the naming list restarts with names beginning with A. In the Northeastern Pacific, six lists of 24 names excluding Q and U are prepared annually and similarly restart with A each year. For hurricanes in the Central North Pacific, 12 names in four lists are prepared regardless of the year and used sequentially.

In 2020, an unprecedented number of hurricanes occurred in the North Atlantic, exhausting all 21 names on the NHC list, leading to the use of Greek letters. By November, the 30th hurricane, Iota, the ninth Greek letter name, had been used.

On the 30th (local time), NASA's Earth Observatory released images of Hurricane Idalia heading toward Florida, stating it is expected to rapidly intensify before striking the Florida coast. Captured by a NASA satellite at 11:35 a.m. on the 29th (local time), Idalia strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane within hours while crossing the Gulf of Mexico. According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Idalia's wind speed at that time was a maximum of 135 km/h. Hurricanes classified as Category 3 or higher are considered major hurricanes causing significant damage.

With Idalia's landfall in Florida, a state of emergency was declared in 46 counties. Approximately 1,400 Florida residents evacuated, and Governor Ron DeSantis mobilized about 5,500 members of the National Guard to prepare for the hurricane.