Who is the ultimate authority that decides on what to name a hurricane?
Are tropical storms named in anticipation of becoming hurricanes as well?
Are the names of hurricanes established upon onset or are they decided upon prior to the season?
They draw the lists up in advance. Anytime a storn starts spinning the right way at a minimum speed, it gets the next moniker on the list.
http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/tcfaqB.html
Addresses more name issues.