# They skipped Q? (Storm names, 2005) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 19, 2005, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-skipped-q-storm-names-2005/322418 "2005-09-19T20:32:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2005, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-skipped-q-storm-names-2005/322418/1 "2005-09-19T20:32:10Z")
Ophelia, Philippe, Rita. Where’s the Q? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2005, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-skipped-q-storm-names-2005/322418/2 "2005-09-19T20:40:32Z")
They skip q, u, x, y and z [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9400889/](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9400889/) ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2005, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-skipped-q-storm-names-2005/322418/3 "2005-09-19T20:41:52Z")
Q is never used in the [six-year cycle of hurricane names](http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutnames.shtml), presumably because too few names start with it. U, X, Y, and Z aren’t used either. ---
**Author:** ![Loopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loopus/32/15343_2.png) [@Loopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopus)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2005, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-skipped-q-storm-names-2005/322418/4 "2005-09-19T20:56:48Z")
How many Q names could they possibly come up with? Hurricane Quincy, Hurricane Quinn, Hurricane… Q\*Bert? ---
**Author:** ![baloo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@baloo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/baloo)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2005, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-skipped-q-storm-names-2005/322418/5 "2005-09-19T21:39:45Z")
> [@Loopus](#): > > How many Q names could they possibly come up with? > > Hurricane Quincy, Hurricane Quinn, Hurricane… Q\*Bert? Quentin! (Living Hell To Me) ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2005, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-skipped-q-storm-names-2005/322418/6 "2005-09-19T21:46:01Z")
My “favorite” is hurrican Cindy. Who the hell is going to be afraid of a hurricane named “Cindy”. Hurricane Cassandra… now that’s a hurricane with a marketing department! ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2005, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-skipped-q-storm-names-2005/322418/7 "2005-09-19T22:19:17Z")
Ophelia had me wishing that they’d go with themes, like Shakespeare, for the year. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2005, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-skipped-q-storm-names-2005/322418/8 "2005-09-19T23:59:53Z")
Hurricane Romeo, Hurricane Romeo, where for… ahh nevermind. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2005, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-skipped-q-storm-names-2005/322418/9 "2005-09-20T00:11:32Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > Ophelia had me wishing that they’d go with themes, like Shakespeare, for the year. Considering Ophelia’s demise, that could be either an appropriate or inappropriate name. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2005, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-skipped-q-storm-names-2005/322418/10 "2005-09-20T00:15:44Z")
> [@John Mace](#): > > My “favorite” is hurrican Cindy. Who the hell is going to be afraid of a hurricane named “Cindy”. It gets better- there was a Hurricane Fifi. That sounds more like a name for a yappy little dog than for a hurricane. [It was one of the deadliest Atlantic hurricanes on record](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Fifi), as well as causing [quite a bit of economic damage in Honduras](http://www2.worldbook.com/wc/popup?path=features/hurricanes&page=html/fifi.htm&direct=yes). ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2005, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-skipped-q-storm-names-2005/322418/11 "2005-09-20T00:48:18Z")
The (NY) Daily News had a great headline last week about small towns on the North Carolina coast in the path of the earlier storm: **Hamlets Warned of Ophelia’s Wrath** ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2005, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-skipped-q-storm-names-2005/322418/12 "2005-09-20T00:57:09Z")
Since they retire the names of the really bad storms, how exactly do they decide what names to use to replace them? Do they ever have disagreements?