#HurricaneDon: 'Small, Not Well Organized' Tropical Storm Don Takes On Twitter And Trump
Don, a “small” and weak storm in the Atlantic, is getting attention for its name, rather than for what damage it might cause.
The storm is named Don, but not after Donald Trump, the President of the United States.
Hurricanes and Tropical Storms are named years in advance by the World Meteorological Organization, which is part of the United Nations. The WMO has been rotating six lists of male and female names since 1979.
“I hadn’t even thought about that,” Max Mayfield, the former National Hurricane Center director who chaired the committee that added the name Don in 2006 told the Associated Press. “I guarantee you that it has no connection to Donald Trump.”
But that didn’t stop the internet and news outlets from poking fun at the situation.
The National Hurricane Center described the storm as “small” and “not particularly well organized,” leading the Associated Press to tweet the description.
The internet soon started making fun of Don:
"Tropical Storm Don. A lot of hot air, going around in circles," CNN commentator and Trump critic Ana Navarro said.
“Believe me, People are saying it has the best winds, the best rain,” replied a Twitter user.
Here are other #HurricaneDon tweets:
The Weather Channel’s coverage of the storm Tuesday said Don is “expected to weaken to a depression” and added that “Don is no threat to the United States.”
The National Hurricane Center’s forecast discussion on Tuesday morning said Don is “small” and is expected to “weaken to a tropical depression in about 24 hours and degenerate into a an open wave within 36 hours." However, Bonaire Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines still have watches and warnings in effect for the storm.
Will We See Don Again?
Other presidents have had storms with their names hit during their presidencies. When Bill Clinton was president, there was a Hurricane Bill in 1997. This year was destined to have a hurricane having the same name as a president, since the eighth name on this year’s eastern Pacific list is “Hilary.”
Some names, like Katrina and Dennis are retired, but Don probably won’t be.
“If a cyclone is particularly deadly or costly, then its name is retired and replaced by another one,” the WMO explains. Since Don is weak, the name is unlikely to be retired.
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