According to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, hurricanes with female names produce less fear and respect in people, and can thus lead to more deaths. That’s both incredible and incredibly stupid.
Update (September 21st, 2019): More than three years after posting this story, the Washington Post published an update. Apparently, this study was likely bunk, which I suppose is ultimately a good thing.
If you’re curious why my own update came in 2019, it’s due to “Hurricane Jerry”. I was expressing that I found a hurricane named Jerry to be too informal, and I was reminded of this story. When I clicked to re-read it, I discovered the Post’s update, and have thus issued my own update.
