Storm of Controversy

WSVN -- Before hurricane season even started last year, we had our first named storm.

Hurricane sounder: "We're already tracking Subtropical Storm Andrea."

Another on the first day of hurricane season...

Hurricane sounder: "Tropical Storm Barry forms."

In all, a total of 14 storm systems were named last year, and some of the storms were deadly.

Hurricane sounder: "Dean brought his powerful wind and waves."

But a former National Hurricane Center director says not all of those systems deserved a name.

Dr. Neil Frank: "We are now naming things that I would not have named when I was the director even back in the 70s and 80s.

Dr. Neil Frank spent that last 20 years as Chief Meteorologist for KHOU in Houston. He says six of the 15 named storms last year may have been too weak to deserve tropical storm status. He says those storms didn't have strong enough central pressures to warrant a name.

Dr. Neil Frank: "But if the pressure doesn't drop down, then the wind is not going to be sustained."

National Hurricane Center Senior Hurricane Specialist Jack Bevin admits some storms are a tough call.

Jack Bevin: "I have to say there are some cases where there will always be a marginal call. Whether we should start advisories or put a name on it or something like that, and it always comes down to the forecaster's judgment."

Bevin says we have better equipment now to measure hurricane force winds, and that is what leads to more systems being named.

Jack Bevin: "With those instrumentations, we're seeing a lot more things that we did not see back in the 70s, 80s and early 90s when that technology was not available."

And the bottom line is safety. Many scientists point to Hurricane Wilma in 2005 as a reason why it's so important to watch every system closely. It went from a tropical storm to a category 5 hurricane in just 24 hours, and Bevin says as their technology gets better, analysis of storms will also get better.

Jack Bevin: "We've got the better tools and because of that the chances are we're going to see more storms."

And, in the end, scientists say no matter how many storms receive a name. The big concern is how many will reach 74 miles per hour to become a hurricane, and, of course, which systems will put South Florida in it's path.

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