Hurricanes were historically named with only female names, leading to sexist descriptions. The tradition may have stemmed from the seafaring tradition of referring to the sea as feminine or from Caribbean islanders naming storms after patron saints. Male names were added in 1979 due to pressure from groups like the National Organization for Women.
The World Meteorological Organization now names hurricanes using a system that alternates between male and female names in alphabetical order. For about 20 years starting in 1953, however, all of these destructive storms were labeled with female names, and descriptions of their movements in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico tended to be colored with sexist clichés. Storms were called fickle when they changed direction and teased or flirted when they approached landfall.
Calling hurricanes by name:
The seafaring tradition of referring to the sea as feminine may have played a role. It’s also possible that Army and Navy meteorologists may have called the storms after the lovers home.
For hundreds of years, Caribbean islanders have named storms after the patron saint of the day they hit.
In 1979, the meteorological community agreed to include male names in the list, citing intense pressure from groups such as the National Organization for Women.
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