The hurricane name game: Will people take a storm called Flossie seriously?
Flossie? The name is far more associated with cows in literature and even a long-lived cat in the Guinness Book of World Records than a potentially disastrous storm.
But Flossie may soon be a hurricane and could be headed for the tourist hot spot Cabo San Lucas at the southern end of Mexico's Baja California peninsula. Will people take the amiable-sounding storm as seriously as they might another storm?
There has not been a lot of definitive research to determine whether the name of a storm affects how people prepare for or pay attention to storms. One earlier study found that male hurricane names are often taken more seriously than female names, but more than a dozen storms have been named Flossie, and at least one of them left its own serious trail of destruction.
One study has claimed male hurricane names were taken more seriously than female names.
"In judging the intensity of a storm, people appear to be applying their beliefs about how men and women behave," said Sharon Shavitt, a professor of marketing at Illinois and a coauthor of the study, which appeared in the peer-reviewed journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2014. "This makes a female-named hurricane, especially one with a very feminine name such as Belle or Cindy, seem gentler and less violent."
Though that study was mostly debunked, it raised some questions about the naming policy of hurricanes.
Hurricane names come from long ago and far away: In fact, some of the storm names on the various lists have been around since 1950 (including Flossie), and they come from the imaginations of the folks at the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in Geneva.
A member of the United States' National Hurricane Center weighs in on the lists, which are chosen long in advance and are on a six-year rotation. The WMO chooses hurricane names several years in advance, so storms are not named based on their severity at the time.
"It is important to note that tropical cyclones are not named after individuals," the WMO says.
When selecting a new name, the WMO considers these criteria:
∎ Short in character length for ease of use in communication.∎ Easy to pronounce.∎ Appropriate significance in different languages.∎ Uniqueness – same names cannot be used in other regions.
From the early 1950s until the late 1970s, hurricanes received only female names. The alternating male-female naming system was adopted in the late 1970s because of society's increased awareness of sexism, the authors in the 2014 study said.
The first "male" storm was Hurricane Bob in 1979.
So is it time to modernize the list, which contains some rather old-fashioned names to American ears, such as Flossie, which has been used in one form or another for 19 tropical cyclones worldwide since 1950?
"Some of the hurricane names which have been in use for many years may now seem a bit dated," WMO spokesperson Claire Nullis acknowledged in an e-mail to USA TODAY June 30. "The (WMO) hurricane committee is concerned with the retirement of names of hurricanes which were particularly damaging or deadly – and they tend to be later in the season (so later in the alphabet) than early season ones.
"I'm not aware that the hurricane committee has ever discussed withdrawing names which don't sound threatening."
And as a popular baby name in the United States, the pregnancy advice site Bump said, the name Flossy peaked in 1908 before bottoming out in 1927.
It turns out Flossie, or Flossy, has been in the hurricane vernacular for a very long time – dating all the way back to 1950 in the Western Pacific and 1956 in the Atlantic.
It has been used for 19 tropical cyclones worldwide: two the Atlantic Ocean, eight in the eastern Pacific Ocean and nine in the western Pacific.
One of the more notable Flossies occurred in early September 2001, when remnant moisture from the eastern Pacific's Hurricane Flossie helped bring strong thunderstorms, lightning and flash floods across portions of Southern California, according to a National Hurricane Center report. "There were no direct deaths or damage from Flossie while it was a tropical cyclone, but two people died from lightning strikes when the remnants arrived in Southwestern California."
Four people were struck by lightning in the San Diego and San Bernardino Mountains, and two of them died: a 53-year old man struck while hiking and a 13-year-old boy who was standing in an open field. One storm brought 2 inches of rain in an hour and caused flooding in San Diego and Riverside counties, the hurricane center said.
In 2013, Tropical Storm Flossie almost made landfall in Hawaii but moved to the north. Two hurricanes named Flossie have approached Hawaii: a category 4 in 2007 and a category 1 in 2019.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How Flossie became a name for a potentially serious hurricane
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Gizmodo
34 minutes ago
- Gizmodo
Scientists Uncover Exercise Lifehack: Go to Bed
As if you needed another reason to envy—or loathe—morning people. Research this week shows that people who go to bed early are more likely to be physically active than those who crave the night. Scientists at Monash University in Australia led the study, which objectively examined people's sleeping and exercise habits. Compared to late-night and typical sleepers, people who went to bed early tended to perform more physical activity the following day, they found. The findings also suggest that tweaking our bedtimes can indirectly help us stay more active, the researchers say. 'Going to sleep earlier than usual may be an effective strategy to maintain normal sleep duration while also optimizing next-day [physical activity],' the authors wrote in their paper, published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Being a Night Owl Might Raise Your Diabetes Risk Regularly getting a good night's sleep and exercising are both vital keys to better overall health. But according to the researchers, it's still unclear exactly how these two aspects of our lives can interact with each other. The team was particularly interested in finding out whether the timing of people's sleep can affect their exercise time, too. They analyzed data from two earlier studies that tracked people's waking and non-waking activity via wearables. In the first study, roughly 20,000 participants wore an activity tracker for an entire year, meaning the researchers had data covering roughly six million nights of sleeping. Across the whole sample, people's average bedtime was around 11 p.m. Early sleepers were classified as people who turned in for bed around 9 p.m., whereas late sleepers went to bed around 1 a.m. Compared to late sleepers, early birds clocked 30 more minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity on average, the researchers found; they also exercised about 15 minutes more than the typical sleeper. These patterns remained stable when the researchers analyzed data from the second study that involved almost 6,000 people who wore FitBits. Though the study isn't intended to answer why night owls might exercise less, the researchers have their educated guesses. 'Standard 9-to-5 routines can clash with the natural sleep preferences of evening types, leading to social jetlag, poorer sleep quality, and increased daytime sleepiness—which can all reduce motivation and opportunity for physical activity the next day,' said lead author Josh Leota, a scientist at Monash's Sleep and Circadian Rhythms research program, in a statement from the university. Social Jetlag Is Real—and It's Worse for Your Health Than You Think Our sleeping habits are influenced by many factors that aren't easily adjusted, including the hours we work and our genetics. But there might be some hope for late birds who would like to exercise more. The researchers also found that people who slept earlier than their typical time, while still sleeping the same amount of hours as usual, tended to perform more physical activity the next day. In other words, it should be possible to work on our sleep and get more workout time all at once. And the researchers say that public health groups should try to emphasize both if possible. 'Rather than just promoting sleep and physical activity independently, health campaigns could encourage earlier bedtimes to naturally foster more active lifestyles. A holistic approach that recognizes how these two essential behaviors interact may lead to better outcomes for individual and community health,' said Leota. I'm all for getting more beauty rest and gym time. But I will draw the line at 5 a.m. morning runs, just FYI.
Health Line
6 hours ago
- Health Line
Is Vitamin E Useful for Treating Psoriasis?
Some studies have shown that vitamin E supplementation may be effective for psoriasis, but it is not currently recommended as a treatment method. More research is necessary to investigate its effectiveness. Psoriasis is a condition characterized by patches and scales that develop on the skin. These can also affect the scalp, nails, or joints, and can be itchy and painful. The patches can be red or pink, but may also appear purple on darker skin, while scales can be white, silvery, or even gray. Psoriasis is a chronic, long-term condition, and the symptoms can be different for everyone. Some people may have periods of remission when they're not experiencing any symptoms, followed by flare-ups when their usual symptoms can return and be quite intense. For some, psoriasis may be only a skin condition, but for others, it may also present with pain, tenderness, and swelling in their joints that may need additional treatment. This is called psoriatic arthritis. The article will look at the evidence for vitamin E as potential treatment or additional supplement for psoriasis and its effectiveness. Can vitamin E treat psoriasis? Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin, which means your body can store it in its tissues and use it later when necessary. Your body uses vitamin E for multiple purposes, including supporting immune function and protecting against oxidative stress. This helps maintain healthy skin, eyes, and joints. In a 2021 study on chronic inflammatory diseases, researchers found that participants with vitiligo, psoriasis, or atopic dermatitis had lower levels of vitamin E than the participants in the control group who didn't have these conditions. They also discovered that supplementation with vitamin E showed significant improvement of oxidative stress markers in the participants with psoriasis and vitiligo. Researchers suspect this might be due to vitamin E's effect on antioxidant formation and lipid metabolism. However, more investigation is necessary on the exact mechanism of vitamin E levels in inflammatory skin diseases before this can be offered and recommended as a treatment. A 2024 study also concluded that higher antioxidant intake, particularly higher vitamin E levels, was associated with a lower likelihood of psoriasis. More research is still necessary to explore how targeted dietary interventions could help manage the condition. Research underscored the importance of nutrition and vitamin E intake for the management of psoriasis, but vitamin E supplementation is not currently a treatment method for the condition. While current research has shown some of its benefits, vitamin E is still not recommended as a long-term treatment. What are the treatment methods for psoriasis? Many topical treatments for psoriasis are available over the counter. These include: Coal tar shampoos, creams, ointments, or bath solutions: Coal tar can reduce redness, itching, and swelling. However, coal tar can also irritate the skin, so it's important to test it out first by applying it on a small patch of skin before covering any other areas affected by psoriasis. Hydrocortisone creams and ointments: These can reduce inflammation and itchiness. Ointments can be more soothing than creams on dry or cracked skin. Moisturizer: A daily moisturiser can seal in hydration and soothe the skin. It's important to choose a product that's appropriate for your skin and fragrance-free. Scale softeners: These can help reduce swelling and remove the scales. Try products with ingredients like salicylic acid, lactic acid, or urea to soften and remove the scales. Salicylic acid can sometimes be irritating on the skin, so use it according to instructions. Anti-itch products: Look out for products that contain the following ingredients to soothe the itch that may come with psoriasis: calamine camphor hydrocortisone menthol Other treatments for psoriasis include phototherapy or systemic treatments. Healthcare professionals usually prescribe these for moderate to severe psoriasis and for psoriatic arthritis. Reach out to a healthcare professional or dermatologist if you need more information about treatment methods for psoriasis and what would be most suitable for you. Takeaway Studies suggest a correlation between vitamin E levels and psoriasis. However, more research is necessary to investigate whether vitamin E can be a useful complementary therapy for the treatment of psoriasis. Plenty of treatments for psoriasis include topical therapies such as ointments and moisturisers that contain targeted ingredients such as coal tar or salicylic acid. Reach out to a dermatologist if you have questions or concerns about the condition.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Study Reveals Water Isn't Actually Best Drink For Hydration
Study Reveals Water Isn't Actually Best Drink For Hydration originally appeared on The Spun. Water is one of the fundamental blocks to life itself and is arguably the most important resource for humans on the entire planet. But a study recently found that H2O may not be the best option if you're simply looking for hydration. In a 2016 study completed by Scotland's Saint Andrews University, researchers actually found that milk was a better hydration option compared to water and other drinks. The researchers concluded that the combination of sugar, fat and protein present in milk slows the emptying of fluid from the stomach, which maintains hydration for a longer period of time. The addition of sodium in milk also "acts like a sponge" for the body to allow it to hold onto water. 'This study tells us much of what we already knew: Electrolytes — like sodium and potassium — contribute to better hydration, while calories in beverages result in slower gastric emptying and therefore slower release of urination,' dietician Melissa Majumdar of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics said in 2019. The final ranking of beverages was that skim milk was the best drink for hydration. Oral hydration-specific solutions such as Pedialyte or Liquid I.V. came in second, followed by full fat milk, then orange juice and finally cola. Here is the full ranking: Skim milk Oral rehydration solutions Full fat milk Orange juice Cola Diet cola Cold tea Tea Sports drinks Sparking water Lager beer Coffee For ages milk has been associated with post-workout meals. Many people drink milk for the protein and often mix in most dense protein snacks to help restore their bodies after an intense workout. But for ages, the drink of choice during a workout, a game or any major physical activity has been either water or sugary drinks with electrolytes. It would be interesting to see if any follow-up studies show whether drinking milk during a workout would have better effects on them. All of this may be small comfort for people who are lactose intolerant or have other restrictions that keep them from drinking Reveals Water Isn't Actually Best Drink For Hydration first appeared on The Spun on Jul 1, 2025 This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jul 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
