2008 Hurricane Names and Definitions

The 2008 hurricane names and definitions are supplied and generated by the National Hurricane Center. A hurricane, by definition, is a tropical storm with a minimum sustained wind speed of 74 mph. It usually develops from the North Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea or the Gulf of Mexico. The center of a hurricane, is an extremely low pressure zone, usually designated as the 'eye' of the storm. An eye is typically 20 to 30 meters wide.

Winds reach maximum velocity near the eye of the hurricane, measuring up to 200 mph. The entire storm can reach a diameter reaching up to 340 miles, and cover thousands of square miles in the lower atmosphere. A hurricane is accompanied by strong winds, heavy rainfall and storm surges and can last up to two weeks, incurring heavy loss on life and property if it hits land. Hurricanes are graded on a scale of 5 on the basis of intensity.

The National Hurricane Center maintains a pool of permanent names for hurricanes since 1953. There are a total of six lists that continue to rotate annually. Thus, a particular list of hurricane names recurs in every six years. Till 1979, only female names were assigned to the storms. Lists with male and female names alternate from then on.

The names of the Atlantic hurricanes are enlisted in the alphabetical order, with the exception of Q and U. The names of hurricanes which prove to be extremely devastating, causing large scale damage to human life and property, are permanently stripped from the list. The name is replaced by another name starting with the same alphabet. About sixty such names have been stripped, or made to 'retire', from the list. Some of the retired hurricane names are Camille (1969), Floyd (1999), Andrew (1992) and Charley (2004). 2005 witnessed unprecedented devastation, when as many as five names retired from the list, including Dennis, Katrina, Rita and Wilma.

2008 will see a particularly busy hurricane season. Fifteen named stormed are expected to hit the Atlantic Basin between June 1 and October 30. Eight of them are predicted to be hurricanes, including four major ones. However, most of these hurricanes will die out on the ocean itself. Five hurricanes are expected to actually hit the US coast in three years, including two major ones with a wind velocity of 111 mph or higher.

The 2008 hurricanes names are Bertha, Cristobel, Dolly, Edouard, Fay, Gustav, Hanna, Ike, Josephine, Kyle, Laura, Marco, Nana, Omar, Paloma, Rene, Teddy, Vicky and Wilfred. The minimal Tropical storm Arthur, the first storm of 2008, has struck the coast of Belize on May 31, a day prior to the formal first day of the Atlantic Basin Hurricane Season.