Ragasa, Matmo, Yagi: how a typhoon gets its name and who gets to name it
The naming of typhoons, hurricanes and cyclones may seem random but strict procedures govern their titles
What do the Capricorn constellation, a butterfly, a type of grass, a blue lake, a swordfish, a raccoon dog, and a dessert of rice balls and coconut milk have in common?
If you are from the northwest Pacific, you may recognise them as giving names to the significant typhoons of Yagi, Wutip, Co-May, Kajiki, Nongfa, Neoguri and Bualoi – from Japanese, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Japanese, Lao, Korean and Thai, respectively – that all occurred in the past 12 months.
Some names may seem apt. The recent typhoon Matmo means “heavy rain” in Chamorro, an Austronesian language of the Chamorro people, who are indigenous to the Micronesian Mariana Islands and also live on Guam.