Not a joke: we're about to have a pair of tropical storms named "Don" and "Hilary" on opposite parts of the country.
While Tropical Storm Don weakens in the Atlantic, Tropical Storm Hilary is about to form in the Pacific: https://t.co/cG09uSEmEB
— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) July 18, 2017
On Monday, it was announced that "Tropical Storm Don" had formed in the Atlantic Ocean. Don is the fourth named storm of the season. Tropical Storm Don was described by the Associated Press (again, not a joke) as being "small" and "not particularly organized." Right now, the storm is located near Barbados and has weakened significantly, and is barely still qualified as a tropical storm. It's expected to make landfall later on Tuesday, and will weaken away into nothing by Thursday at the latest.
Hurricane center calls Tropical Storm Don “small” and ?not particularly well organized.” https://t.co/NDMq439r2V
— AP Politics (@AP_Politics) July 18, 2017
Meanwhile, in the Pacific Ocean, Tropical Depression 8-E is expected to be dubbed "Tropical Storm Hilary" once it meets the requirements for designation as a tropical storm. This will likely happen later on Tuesday evening.
Believe it or not, these names are entirely coincidental and are in no way a political message or intended as a jab. The 2017 list is a repeat of the names that were used during the 2011 hurricane season, and the same set of names will once again be used in 2023, provided that none of them are retired for being too destructive.