# Why doesn't the '87 hurricane have a name? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 23, 2013, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-87-hurricane-have-a-name/651158 "2013-02-23T11:17:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr\_Shine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr_shine/32/464_2.png) [@Mr\_Shine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Shine)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2013, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-87-hurricane-have-a-name/651158/1 "2013-02-23T11:17:59Z")
Watching this weeks episode of _Death in Paradise_, a show about an English Inspector transferred to the fictional Caribbean island of San Marie, there’s a hurricane on the island and he’s very dismissive of it as he “survived 1987”. This is mainly played for laughs, but one comment his sergeant makes is that “does it have a name? If it was a real hurricane it would have a name”. (He jokingly suggests its name was Hurricane Fish:p) So why does the hurricane that hit France and the 'UK in 1987 not have a name? ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2013, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-87-hurricane-have-a-name/651158/2 "2013-02-23T11:57:11Z")
Because no hurricane hit France or the UK in 1987? Hurricanes are tropical by definition; the Great Storm of 1987 was a North Atlantic storm, and those are not named. There were only three Atlantic hurricanes in 1987; only one, Arlene, approached Europe. It had been downgraded to “extratropical remnants” when it hit land, causing heavy rain in Spain (which, I’m sure, fell mainly on the plain). ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2013, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-87-hurricane-have-a-name/651158/3 "2013-02-23T15:24:36Z")
> [@Mr\_Shine](#): > > Watching this weeks episode of _Death in Paradise_, a show about an English Inspector transferred to the fictional Caribbean island of San Marie, there’s a hurricane on the island and he’s very dismissive of it as he “survived 1987”. This is mainly played for laughs, but one comment his sergeant makes is that “does it have a name? If it was a real hurricane it would have a name”. (He jokingly suggests its name was Hurricane Fish:p) > > So why does the hurricane that hit France and the 'UK in 1987 not have a name? Not sure if you know this but he suggests “Fish” because of BBC weatherman [Michael Fish](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Fish#Hurricane_controversy) > [@](#): > > He became infamous in the wake of the Great Storm of 1987; a few hours before the storm broke, on 15 October 1987, he said during a forecast: “Earlier on today, apparently, a woman rang the BBC and said she heard there was a hurricane on the way… well, if you’re watching, don’t worry, there isn’t!”. That evening, the worst storm to hit South East England since 1703 caused record damage and killed 18 people. Storms of this force (which indeed are not technically hurricanes) are so rare in the UK that they don’t need individual names and are just known by the date. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2013, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-87-hurricane-have-a-name/651158/4 "2013-02-23T16:08:34Z")
[America](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America_%28band%29) had an idea for a song and paid off the Weather Service. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2013, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-87-hurricane-have-a-name/651158/5 "2013-02-23T16:46:50Z")
> [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](#): > > Storms of this force (which indeed are not technically hurricanes) are so rare in the UK that they don’t need individual names and are just known by the date. One did get a name recently: [Hurricane Bawbag](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Bawbag) ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2013, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-87-hurricane-have-a-name/651158/6 "2013-02-23T19:10:41Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > One did get a name recently: [Hurricane Bawbag](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Bawbag) Heh that sounds like… > [@](#): > > In Scotland, the storm was dubbed Hurricane Bawbag, the term bawbag being a Scots word for “scrotum” …um, exactly what it is, I see. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Shine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr_shine/32/464_2.png) [@Mr\_Shine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Shine)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2013, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-87-hurricane-have-a-name/651158/7 "2013-02-23T23:41:21Z")
[QUOTE=Springtime for Spacers] Not sure if you know this but he suggests “Fish” because of BBC weatherman Michael Fish [/quote] Of course. That’s what the big green smiley was about. Cheers for the replies everybody. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-87-hurricane-have-a-name/651158/8 "2013-02-24T03:19:06Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > [America](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America_%28band%29) had an idea for a song and paid off the Weather Service. 😉 OK, you whooshed me with this. I’m familiar with America, but which one of their songs are you referring to here? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-87-hurricane-have-a-name/651158/9 "2013-02-24T03:21:24Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > OK, you whooshed me with this. I’m familiar with America, but which one of their songs are you referring to here? [del]Hurricane[/del] Horse with No Name, of course. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-87-hurricane-have-a-name/651158/10 "2013-02-24T03:24:27Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > OK, you whooshed me with this. I’m familiar with America, but which one of their songs are you referring to here? [Horse With No Name](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSAJ0l4OBHM) RTA: Ninja’d ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-87-hurricane-have-a-name/651158/11 "2013-02-24T03:27:16Z")
Horse … hurricane, it’s all the same, huh? ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Bob\_X](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@Bob\_X](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob_X)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-87-hurricane-have-a-name/651158/12 "2013-02-24T03:43:35Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > OK, you whooshed me with this. I’m familiar with America, but which one of their songs are you referring to here? I blew through Britain with a hurricane with no name, it felt good to get in to the rain… They had to change it. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-87-hurricane-have-a-name/651158/13 "2013-02-24T04:55:01Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > [del]Hurricane[/del] Horse with No Name, of course. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2013, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-87-hurricane-have-a-name/651158/14 "2013-02-26T12:44:19Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > Horse … hurricane, it’s all the same, huh? ☹ You have to give people a certain amount of latitude in this regard.😉 ---
**Author:** ![Encinitas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Encinitas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Encinitas)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2013, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-87-hurricane-have-a-name/651158/15 "2013-02-26T19:48:24Z")
But longitude is right out!