In August, Typhoon Son Tinh defeated Typhoon Wukong in the waters of Japan.
As we know, there is currently a typhoon named Trami in the waters of the Philippines. It is forecasted to enter the East Sea and officially affect our country starting tomorrow, October 24, until around October 28, after which it may make landfall in Central Vietnam.
From now until the end of the month, we will continuously receive updates on the situation of Typhoon Trami through various media outlets. However, there is one puzzling thing: The international name for this typhoon is “Trami.” Yet, in Vietnam, it is officially referred to as Typhoon No. 6.
This raises many questions: Is Trami indeed the Vietnamese name Trà Mi, or is it simply a transliteration? And if Typhoon Trami is truly a Vietnamese name, why is it called that? Ultimately, who named the typhoon Trà Mi?
Why Are Typhoons Named?
In reality, the practice of naming typhoons is not something new. Since the 16th century, Western meteorologists have used the names of gods, saints, or the latitude and longitude where typhoons occur to name them.
This helps meteorologists communicate information consistently while tracking a typhoon. Additionally, typhoon names facilitate easier communication and warnings to the public.
Typhoon names are especially useful when multiple storms occur in the same region. Meteorologists and the public need to distinguish between the storms, their intensity, and their paths to know which typhoon may impact their area.
Typhoon names are especially useful when multiple storms occur in the same region. (Illustrative image).
There Have Been Many Complicated Naming Systems
As mentioned, the initiative to name typhoons originated from meteorologists in the 16th century. However, in each region, typhoons are named according to different systems. Some places name typhoons after Catholic saints, such as Typhoon Santa Ana, named after Saint Anne, while others use coordinates of the storm as designators, and some simply use numbers to name them.
By 1953, meteorologists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the United States believed that typhoons needed simpler, more familiar, and memorable names to be more accessible to the public. Thus, they began using women’s names for each storm.
However, the women’s rights movement in the West during the 1970s opposed this naming system. They argued that naming storms after women suggests that they only bring destruction. This led NOAA to add men’s names to the naming system starting in 1978.
The initiative to name typhoons originated from meteorologists in the 16th century. (Illustrative image).
During this period, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) decided to establish a typhoon committee that would meet annually to create lists of names for typhoons in various regions worldwide.
The committee would consist of members from various countries who would propose typhoon names for WMO to select. However, during this time, most WMO members came from Western countries. Consequently, typhoons in other regions, such as Asia, ended up with Western names that were unfamiliar to local populations.
It wasn’t until 1997, during the 30th meeting of the WMO Typhoon Committee, with participation from Asian countries, that they proposed that typhoons affecting their regions should have purely Asian names rather than borrowed from the West.
Since then, the naming system we use today has been established.
So How Are Typhoons Named?
To name typhoons in the Northwest Pacific region, which affects Asian countries including Vietnam, the World Meteorological Organization calls for members from countries frequently affected by storms in the region to submit a list of names they wish to propose.
The WMO meets to select a list of the shortest, easiest to pronounce, and most meaningful names in various languages to create a typhoon name table. From here, typhoons that occur in the region will be named sequentially according to this table.
This ensures that all countries in the region can participate in naming typhoons, and there are typhoons that resonate with their own languages:
List of typhoon names.
For example, Vietnam’s representative at the WMO proposed 20 Vietnamese names, and 10 of those were approved by the WMO, including: Son Tinh (Sơn Tinh), Co May (Cỏ May), Ba Vi (Ba Vì), Luc Binh (Lục Bình), Son Ca (Sơn Ca), Trami (Trà Mi), Halong (Hạ Long), Bang Lang (Bằng Lăng), Song Da (Sông Đà), and Saola (Sao La).
Why Do We Occasionally Hear Vietnamese Typhoon Names?
This is because the WMO list currently has 140 names that are used in rotation for all typhoons in the Northwest Pacific. Therefore, it is not necessary that a typhoon named after a country will make landfall in that country.
For instance, Typhoon Yagi (a name proposed by Japan) made landfall in Vietnam last month. Meanwhile, Typhoon Son Tinh appeared in the waters of Japan in August. During that same time, the region also experienced Typhoon Wukong (a name proposed by China).
Interestingly, Typhoon Son Tinh defeated the weaker Wukong, which was merely a tropical depression in the waters of Japan.
According to the WMO’s rotating name list, we occasionally see a typhoon with an international Vietnamese name affecting Vietnam itself. For example, Typhoon Sao La (2023), Typhoon Son Ca (2022), Typhoon Con Son (2021), Typhoon Vam Co (2020)…
Typhoon Names Can Repeat and Change
Since each year, the Northwest Pacific region experiences 20-23 typhoons, while the WMO’s list for this area only has 140 names, it averages that after every 6 years, a typhoon’s name will have to repeat.
For instance, Typhoon Trami is set to make landfall in our country in 2024, but back in 2018, there was already a Typhoon Trami that affected Taiwan (China). Five years earlier, another Typhoon Trami swept through the Philippines before making landfall in China in 2013. In 2006, there was also a Typhoon Trami, but it formed and dissipated quickly over the sea.
This is also Typhoon Trami, but in 2018, it affected Taiwan (China).
Another special aspect of the typhoon naming list is that it can change. Once a year, WMO members meet to update the typhoon name list. Typically, a country can propose to withdraw a typhoon name if that storm has caused catastrophic damage and could evoke painful memories for the public.
For example, South Korea once proposed to remove the name Typhoon Saomai, proposed by Vietnam, from the WMO list because this storm hit South Korea and caused catastrophic consequences. Vietnam also proposed to remove the name Typhoon Chanchu, designated by South Korea, because it had severe repercussions for Vietnam.
That is why you no longer see the name Typhoon Sao Mai. In the coming year, Vietnam may also propose that the WMO withdraw the name Typhoon Yagi proposed by Japan due to the severe consequences it caused for Vietnam. Therefore, it is likely that Typhoon Yagi in 2024 will be the last storm to bear that name.
