Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Tropical Storm Erin Forms - Gulf Gets Ready for Lashing



This was one of my favorite headlines today. I have to admit I still get excited about Erin being chosen as one of the official tropical cyclone names. I blame some of this on my childhood, my older sister had the most popular name of decades and everywhere you turned her name was the example – named stickers, pencils, embroidered bags, blankets, characters in books, movies, songs… Meanwhile my name as never that popular and I was at the beginning of it being a female name. Plus technically “Erin” is not my name, mine is “Erinn” which meant it was impossible to find anything with my name on it unless it was specially ordered. Nevertheless I will accept this alternate spelling for this purpose. I also claim that I missed my calling as a meteorologist. I love weather. So this culmination of a major weather event being called by my name is thrilling to me.
Currently the lists of names used for these storms are rotated on a 6 years basis with names being retired if they reach a monumental or catastrophic level i.e. Andrew, Katrina. So far pervious storms named Erin have not been significant, although in 1995 Hurricane Erin did make landfall around Gulf Shores, Al. I joking said I need to make up t-shirts that said “I survived Hurricane Erin.” Maybe in 2013?

2 comments:

coffeemug said...

I'm so jealous! How do I recommend there be a "Hurricane Shana"?! Or maybe "Typhoon Shana" ... I could handle that too :D

Erinn said...

I am not sure - it goes through an international committee of the World Meteorological Organization - maybe you need to petition them. :) I have to admit I was a little disappointed that Tropical Storm Erin didn't pick up more steam this year to be a full fledge hurricane. :)