These hurricanes share their names with Disney characters
By
Rina Torchinsky, AccuWeather staff writer
Updated Jul 6, 2021 7:47 PM EST
Olaf from Disney's 'Frozen' balloon floats down Sixth Avenue in front of Radio City Music Hall during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2019, in New York. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
Disney characters are taking the world by storm -- or rather, by hurricane.
Names like Elsa and Olaf, or Belle and Gaston, have been attributed to the violent cyclones that bubble up in the Atlantic and Pacific every year.
The World Meteorological Organization uses a repeating system of names to identify hurricanes each year. Initially, the system named hurricanes based on the military’s phonetic alphabet. However, starting in 1979, the WMO shifted to human names. (Or snowman names, in the case of Olaf, who perhaps is better known as the lovable snowman from Disney's Frozen movies).
Hurricane names in the Atlantic system are named based on six, alphabetized 21-name lists, excluding names beginning with the letters Q, U, X, Y and Z. (The Queen of Hearts and Ursula are never slated to reach the Atlantic.) The names cycle on a six-year rotation, so in every seventh year, the process reverts to the first list.
Here’s a look at the Disney characters that have already mustered enough winds to reach hurricane status.
No. 1: Elsa
It’s probably fitting that the Frozen princess is already known for her snow and ice-related magical powers. While the character can conjure ice and snow, the storm is packing maximum sustained winds of 60 mph.
Elsa, the first Atlantic hurricane of 2021, was a Category 1 hurricane on early Saturday but weakened to a tropical storm as it headed toward Florida and parts of the Southeast. The tropical storm was rated at less than one on the AccuWeather RealImpact™ Scale for Hurricanes.
Follow along with AccuWeather’s Elsa live blog for updates.
No. 2: Olaf
Frozen’s Olaf is also on the 2021 hurricane name list, sharing space with Elsa and (almost) Ana. The friendly snowman’s namesake was a small hurricane that ripped through Mexico in 2003. Olaf touched down in Manzanillo, Mexico, heaving winds and heavy rain, according to The National Weather Service.
There were no deaths linked to Olaf, but the storm caused severe damage to homes, crops and infrastructure, according to a 2003 report from The National Weather Service. More than 12,000 homes in Jalisco were damaged by flooding.
No. 3: Belle
Belle, the princess in Beauty and the Beast, doubled as a hurricane that forced moderate damage across the East Coast of the United States in 1976.
Hurricane warnings were posted from Kitty Hawk to Cape Lookout, North Carolina, but watches encompassed Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, New Jersey and the New York City metropolitan area, according to archives from the St. Petersburg Times.
Under darkening skies, Cherry Grove vacationers and residents head for the last ferry to the mainland in Fire Island, Long Island on August 9, 1976. Hurricane Belle is expected to sweep the Long Island area. (AP Photo)
The hurricane whipped up 90-mph winds and sent waves crashing on Atlantic City’s boardwalk, according to The Associated Press.
No. 4: Gaston
Hurricane Gaston, which shares a name with the main antagonist in Beauty and The Beast, made landfall in South Carolina in 2004. Gaston began as a tropical storm but strengthened to a hurricane that carried winds as high as 75 mph.
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The storm hit Richmond, Virginia, particularly hard, local outlet WTOP reported. Floodwaters rose to 10 feet, just blocks away from the state capitol. The hurricane caused $130 million worth of damage, according to a local NBC affiliate.
No. 5: Jasmine
Jasmine, the princess in Aladdin, shares a name with Cyclone Jasmine, which hoisted powerful winds past the island of New Caledonia, Australia, in 2012. The storm was equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane.
The cyclone, which packed winds of about 130 mph, formed as a tropical storm over the South Pacific Ocean but strengthened to a tropical cyclone within days. The cyclone’s eye spanned 24 nautical miles at one point in February 2012.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios.
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News / Weather News
These hurricanes share their names with Disney characters
By Rina Torchinsky, AccuWeather staff writer
Updated Jul 6, 2021 7:47 PM EST
Olaf from Disney's 'Frozen' balloon floats down Sixth Avenue in front of Radio City Music Hall during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2019, in New York. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
Disney characters are taking the world by storm -- or rather, by hurricane.
Names like Elsa and Olaf, or Belle and Gaston, have been attributed to the violent cyclones that bubble up in the Atlantic and Pacific every year.
The World Meteorological Organization uses a repeating system of names to identify hurricanes each year. Initially, the system named hurricanes based on the military’s phonetic alphabet. However, starting in 1979, the WMO shifted to human names. (Or snowman names, in the case of Olaf, who perhaps is better known as the lovable snowman from Disney's Frozen movies).
Hurricane names in the Atlantic system are named based on six, alphabetized 21-name lists, excluding names beginning with the letters Q, U, X, Y and Z. (The Queen of Hearts and Ursula are never slated to reach the Atlantic.) The names cycle on a six-year rotation, so in every seventh year, the process reverts to the first list.
Here’s a look at the Disney characters that have already mustered enough winds to reach hurricane status.
No. 1: Elsa
It’s probably fitting that the Frozen princess is already known for her snow and ice-related magical powers. While the character can conjure ice and snow, the storm is packing maximum sustained winds of 60 mph.
Elsa, the first Atlantic hurricane of 2021, was a Category 1 hurricane on early Saturday but weakened to a tropical storm as it headed toward Florida and parts of the Southeast. The tropical storm was rated at less than one on the AccuWeather RealImpact™ Scale for Hurricanes.
Follow along with AccuWeather’s Elsa live blog for updates.
No. 2: Olaf
Frozen’s Olaf is also on the 2021 hurricane name list, sharing space with Elsa and (almost) Ana. The friendly snowman’s namesake was a small hurricane that ripped through Mexico in 2003. Olaf touched down in Manzanillo, Mexico, heaving winds and heavy rain, according to The National Weather Service.
There were no deaths linked to Olaf, but the storm caused severe damage to homes, crops and infrastructure, according to a 2003 report from The National Weather Service. More than 12,000 homes in Jalisco were damaged by flooding.
No. 3: Belle
Belle, the princess in Beauty and the Beast, doubled as a hurricane that forced moderate damage across the East Coast of the United States in 1976.
Hurricane warnings were posted from Kitty Hawk to Cape Lookout, North Carolina, but watches encompassed Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, New Jersey and the New York City metropolitan area, according to archives from the St. Petersburg Times.
Under darkening skies, Cherry Grove vacationers and residents head for the last ferry to the mainland in Fire Island, Long Island on August 9, 1976. Hurricane Belle is expected to sweep the Long Island area. (AP Photo)
The hurricane whipped up 90-mph winds and sent waves crashing on Atlantic City’s boardwalk, according to The Associated Press.
No. 4: Gaston
Hurricane Gaston, which shares a name with the main antagonist in Beauty and The Beast, made landfall in South Carolina in 2004. Gaston began as a tropical storm but strengthened to a hurricane that carried winds as high as 75 mph.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
The storm hit Richmond, Virginia, particularly hard, local outlet WTOP reported. Floodwaters rose to 10 feet, just blocks away from the state capitol. The hurricane caused $130 million worth of damage, according to a local NBC affiliate.
SEE ALSO:
No. 5: Jasmine
Jasmine, the princess in Aladdin, shares a name with Cyclone Jasmine, which hoisted powerful winds past the island of New Caledonia, Australia, in 2012. The storm was equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane.
The cyclone, which packed winds of about 130 mph, formed as a tropical storm over the South Pacific Ocean but strengthened to a tropical cyclone within days. The cyclone’s eye spanned 24 nautical miles at one point in February 2012.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo