By Justine Calma
The World Meteorological Organisation announced that Greek letters will no longer be used to name Atlantic tropical cyclones. “The Greek alphabet will never be used again as it was distracting and confusing,” the WMO stated. The names of three especially devastating 2020 hurricanes — Laura, Eta, and Iota — were retired, along with Dorian from 2019. Eta and Iota together killed 272 people and caused $9 billion in damages across Central America. The WMO will replace the Greek alphabet with a supplemental list of names based on the modern English alphabet. Dexter will replace Dorian, and Leah will replace Laura. The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season was the most active on record.