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Why our next tropical cyclone just got a name change

The next tropical cyclone to form in Australian waters won't be called Anthony as was originally planned.

The BoM names cyclones from a pre-determined list which runs in alphabetical order, alternating between male and female names.

After Severe Tropical Cyclone Zelia impacted Western Australia late last week, the next name on the list was supposed to be Anthony.

However the BoM removed the name from its list earlier this month due to the current prime minister's first name being Anthony. 

"When a name matches a prominent person of the time, we reorder to the next name starting with that same letter to avoid any confusion," a BoM spokesperson confirmed on Monday.

Keeping with the tradition of going alphabetically and alternating between male and female names, the next cyclone will now be named Alfred.

Image: Tropical cyclone statistics for Australian waters.

Alfred could potentially form as early this weekend, with models pointing to the formation of a tropical low that could develop into a tropical cyclone in the Coral Sea off Queensland’s east coast. We’ll keep you updated on that one.

The practice of naming Australian cyclones after people was introduced by Clement Wragge, a prominent meteorologist of British origin who worked in Australia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and who built a weather observatory on Mt Kosciuszko.

Meanwhile, it will be interesting to see what unfolds in the 2026 northern hemisphere tropical cyclone season.

America's NOAA (their BoM equivalent) has "Marco" 13th in line for Atlantic hurricanes, while the 16th Eastern North Pacific tropical storm will be named "Polo" and could conceivably occur at the same time.