tropical storm don moos
Tropical storms Hilary vs. Don
02:00 - Source: CNN

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Tropical Storm Don dissipates after forming in Caribbean

Jokes come out on Twitter with possibility of a tropical storm named Hilary in East Pacific

CNN  — 

No, it’s not a rematch of the 2016 election. But Tropical Storm Don and what could become a tropical storm named Hilary found many on social media drawing comparisons to last year’s turbulent political battle.

Forming Monday in the Caribbean, Don lost momentum Tuesday night before dissipating into an open wave. The National Hurricane Center in Miami had described the storm with references to “small, but well defined” and “not particularly well organized.” Twitter users couldn’t resist a chance to take jabs at the President.

Over in the East Pacific Ocean, Tropical Depression 8 has the potential to be upgraded and become Tropical Storm Hilary. But Tropical Storm Greg may absorb it before it can share a name with the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee (albeit it’s spelled with one “l” instead of the former first lady’s two). Nevertheless, social media couldn’t resist rehashing some political jokes.

The National Hurricane Center will use this year’s list of storm names again in 2023 so it’s possible we may not have seen the last of Don vs. Hilary.

An international panel of the UN World Meteorological Organization comes up with a list of names for storms, recycling the same list every six years, according to the hurricane center. There are lists for the Atlantic as well as the Eastern North Pacific and Central North Pacific. The names of deadly or costly hurricanes get scrapped from the list for future use for reasons of sensitivity.

Why are hurricanes the only storms that get a name?

Hurricane season

The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, and it’s been busy so far.

Don Hillary Storm

In May, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast a 45% chance for an above-normal season, predicting a 70% chance of having 11 to 17 named storms, of which five to nine could develop into hurricanes.

Tropical Storm Bret formed last month 125 miles southeast of Trinidad before weakening to a tropical wave after one day. Also in June, Tropical Storm Cindy formed in the Gulf of Mexico but weakened to a tropical depression after making landfall south of Lake Charles, Louisiana.

Besides Hilary and Don, the National Hurricane Center is tracking two storms in the Pacific.

The larger storm, Fernanda, was a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale on Friday but quickly weakened to a Category 2 storm by Tuesday. The storm is expected to weaken further as it travels northwest of Hawaii.

Tropical Storm Greg continues to travel west over open waters after forming Tuesday over Mexico’s Pacific coast. The storm is expected to dissipate by Sunday.

CNN’s Michael Guy contributed to this report.