Atlantic storm names may go Greek (only 4 names left for the year)

[LynneSin]

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WEATHER/09/19/storm.names/

Atlantic storm names may go Greek
List has only four names left for the year
By Peggy Mihelich
CNN


Tuesday, September 20, 2005; Posted: 1:36 p.m. EDT (17:36 GMT)


Source: NOAA/National Hurricane Center
SPECIAL REPORT

(CNN) -- Forecasters could run out of names for tropical storms and hurricanes before the season ends November 30.

The Atlantic basin has seen 17 named storms since the season began June 1, and only four are left on the list.

What's a meteorologist to do if the names run out? Go Greek.

Should the Atlantic see more than 21 named storms "additional storms will take names from the Greek alphabet: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and so on," according to the National Hurricane Center Web site.

"We only have four names left on the list this year: Stan, Tammy, Vince and Wilma. If we have a fifth storm it would be named Alpha," said Daniel Brown, a meteorologist at the center, which is based in Miami, Florida.

<<<snip>>>>

The letters Q, U, X, Y and Z are skipped because not enough names start with those letters, Brown said

I'm sure that the Quincy, Uma, Xavier, Yolanda and Zak of the world aren't happy to hear about this one!

[DS1]

1. Yeah, many more of these and Bush will be really taking it in the

.

[nickgutierrez]

2. Or is that the...

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</badjoke>