2017-03-28 (IPMA)
The names Matthew and Otto have been retired as tropical cyclone names because of numerous fatalities and the extensive damage they caused in 2016. Matthew will be replaced by Martin, and Otto will be replaced by Owen in the rotating list of names used for tropical cyclones in the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, North Atlantic and eastern North Pacific Oceans.
The World Meteorological Organization’s Regional Association IV Hurricane Committee, which covers North America, Central America and the Caribbean, took the decision at a meeting hosted by Costa Rica's national meteorological and hydrological service in San Jose. It assessed the 2016 season with a view to improving hurricane warning services and regional coordination for the 2017 season and the future.
“WMO and its Members are continuously working to provide more accurate forecasting and warning services which are impact-based and address multiple hazards including wind speed, storm surge and coastal and inland flooding, “ said WMO Assistant Secretary-General Wenjian Zhang.
“Great progress has been made in reducing loss of lives from tropical cyclones and other natural hazards. Without timely and accurate warnings and region-wide coordination and cooperation, the casualties from Hurricane Matthew would have been even higher. But in the case of Haiti, in particular, loss of life was still much too high,” said Mr Zhang.
Tropical cyclone activity in the Atlantic basin during the 2016 season was above the 1981-2010 long–term average, according to WMO’s Regional Specialized Meteorological Center Miami (the US National Hurricane Center).
Fifteen tropical storms formed, of which 7 became hurricanes, and 4 reached major hurricane strength (category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale). By comparison, the 1981-2010 averages are 12 tropical storms, 6 hurricanes and 3 major hurricanes.
Tropical cyclone activity during the 2016 eastern North Pacific hurricane season was well above average. Of the 21 tropical storms that formed, eleven became hurricanes, and five reached major hurricane strength (category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale). In comparison, the 1981-2010 averages are 15 tropical storms, 8 hurricanes and 4 major hurricanes, according to RSMC Miami.
RSMC Miami takes the lead in fostering regional coordination and training, and promoting improvements in warnings and operational activities. For instance, during the 2016 season, the U.S. Air Force and NOAA Reconnaissance Hurricane aircraft provided valuable meteorological data, helping to determine the intensity of Hurricane Matthew and other hurricanes that threatened land.