The Bureau of Meteorology names cyclones that form off the Australian coast to help with identification and alerting the public to their threat.

The Bureau names cyclones to raise the profile of the storm systems and avoid confusion if multiple cyclones form simultaneously.

Cyclone names are taken from a list kept by the Bureau, which is arranged alphabetically and alternates between female and male.

The system began in Australia when Cyclone Bessie was named after forming off Western Australia on 6 January 1964.

The first cyclone of the 2022/23 cyclone season, which typically runs from 1 November – 30 April, will be Cyclone Darian.

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That system will follow Cyclone Charlotte, which formed off Western Australia in March 2022 but did not cross the coast.

After Darian, will be Elly, Freddy, Gabrielle and Herman.

Cyclones that form in other regions and move into Australian waters will carry the name where they were first identified.

For example, Cyclone Yasi, which devastated north Queensland in 2011, was named by the Fiji Meteorological Service after forming 370km north east of Vanuatu.

The Bureau can choose to skip a name on the list if it is felt to be inappropriate at the time.

Neighbouring countries approve our cyclone names through the World Meteorological Organization Regional Tropical Cyclone Committees to avoid any duplication.

The names of high-profile cyclones that cause significant damage and possibly loss of life, like Tracy (1974), Larry (2006) and Debbie (2017), are retired from the list and replaced.

Source: Bureau of Meteorology

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