Having your name show up in a math word problem or a short passage can be a common experience, especially for those with names such as John, Max, or Abigail. The moment the class hears your name their eyes are on you. Perhaps you're nervous, shocked, or even prideful.

Interestingly enough, now all the people of Milton have the chance for attention that goes beyond a classroom: our town’s name coincides with that of a hurricane.

Over the last three weeks, the name Milton has developed from the name of a high school to a hurricane impacting those in the nation’s south. Hurricane Milton touched down on Wednesday, October 9, making its way through the majority of inland Florida in populated areas such as Tampa. It wasn’t until the 12th that the storm finally dissipated; however, destruction remained in its wake.

Hurricane Milton began its existence as a tropical storm, forming in the Gulf of Mexico and developing into a Category 5 hurricane. In fact, Milton is the fifth most intense Atlantic hurricane of all time with speeds reaching heights of 180 mph and a pressure of 879 hPa. However, when the storm made landfall, Milton had decreased to a Category 3 hurricane.

Concerning damage, the tornadoes that followed the storm itself resulted in the most fatalities. In Florida, there have been thirty confirmed deaths, while in Mexico, there have been three confirmed ones and six unaccounted for. As for property costs, Hurricane Milton is estimated to become the 8th most expensive hurricane in the Atlantic.

Students said that the name of the hurricane is quite surprising. Milton High junior Katie Scott commented on its irony. “I had some family members from Florida in town at the time,“ said Scott, “so it was kinda like they were escaping Hurricane Milton by coming to Milton.”

Other comments from students describe feelings of shock and even confusion, “At first when I heard the phrase Hurricane Milton, I thought for a second that there was a hurricane going through Milton,” one junior said. Although opinions differed among students, one trend stayed consistent: students wondered just how hurricanes are named.

In truth, the names of hurricanes come from a list made by the National Hurricane Center in 1953. There are six alphabetical lists of names rotated every six years. It just so happens that the name in the M spot in the list for 2024 is Milton.

However, the National Hurricane Center considers the names of hurricanes with notable impacts, such as Hurricane Katrina, as inappropriate and, therefore, retires them.

Milton was one of many names that have replaced retired storms. Previously, the thirteenth name from this year’s list was Michael, however, in 2018, it became Milton. There is a chance that this name will meet the same fate and “Hurricane Milton” will never leave our mouths again.

As hurricane season comes to a close, the East gears up for storms of their own with the possible harsh winter weather; perhaps there will be a time when our blizzards will be named. However, students will be more interested in getting days off of school in the winter season than in any recurrence of Milton in the news.