Bet you’re thinking that with the mostly delightful weather we have been enjoying this spring here on the North Fork, the National Weather Service probably has reason to take some time off. Well, you would be wrong about that, and The Shofar is jumping in here to dispel any disparaging thoughts you may have about the service’s attention to duty.

With all the chitchat about climate change and the possibility of a particularly tempestuous hurricane season upcoming, the National Weather Service has been busy choosing names for all the 2020 hurricanes from A (Arthur) through W (Wilfred). So as not to alarm the populace, the NWS has assured the public that in all the years that Atlantic storms have been tracked and named, the hurricane season has ended before ever reaching a W name. Whew!

Nevertheless, should this be the year that a storm needs a name beyond Vicky, the NWS is prepared to name it Wilfred. Since we have never reached W, The Shofar assumes there is no need to even suggest X, Y or Z names. So, if any expectant parents are among The Shofar’s readers, and should they look forward one day to having the name they’ve chosen for their offspring match that of a hurricane, they should reconsider Xavier, Yvonne and Zelda. You have been alerted.

For the curious, the names of Atlantic storms so far this season were Arthur, Bertha and Cristobal. Coming up are Dolly, Edouard, Fay, Gonzalo Hanna, Isaias, Josephine, Kyle, Laura, Marco, Nana, Omar, Paulette, Rene, Sally, Teddy, Vicky and, lastly, Wilfred.

While we’re on the subject, you might be interested to learn that the NWS has already named Atlantic storms through 2025 and, yes, The Shofar has the list and will keep readers current as needed. You might like to know, also, that a master list exists, from which the storms are named. The names can be rotated every six years, however those attached to particularly devastating storms are retired. So no more Sandy’s. And good riddance.