Four new additions have been added to the list of tropical cyclone names for the western North Pacific and the South China Sea.

They are Peipah (a popular pet fish) from Macau, Nuri (a blue-crowned parakeet) from Malaysia, Molave (a popular hardwood used in furniture) from the Philippines and Matmo (meaning heavy rain) from Guam. The names replace Vamei, Rusa, Imbudo and Chataan respectively.

Relevant jurisdictions can ask the Typhoon Committee to delete the names of cyclones that have inflicted severe damage and loss of life from the list and replace them with new ones.

Tropical cyclone Vamei was an unusual storm which formed near Singapore in late December, 2001. It was the closest cyclone to the Equator over the western North Pacific and the South China Sea since World War II. Vamei brought strong winds and torrential rain to Singapore and seriously affected land, sea and air traffic.

In 2002, Chataan and Rusa caused loss of property and life in Japan and South Korea respectively, while Imbudo in 2003 left 22 dead in the Philippines along with another 20 in Guangdong and Guangxi.

What's in a name?

A new set of 140 cyclone names, contributed by the 14 jurisdictions of the Typhoon Committee, was adopted in 2000. Before then the HK Observatory used cyclone names assigned by the US Armed Forces' Joint Typhoon Warning Centre in Guam since 1947. Initially, only female names were assigned. Male names were added after 1979.

Chinese name translations are jointly determined by the observatory, the China Meteorological Administration and the Macau Meteorological & Geophysical Bureau.

Cyclone names with regional characteristics, like Kai-tak and Choi-wan contributed by Hong Kong, are intended to raise community awareness to impending cyclone hazards.

The list of names and meanings is available at the observatory's website.