Subtropical storms will get names this year; one or two of the systems form each year: MIAMI - As the hurricane season begins today, prepare for a new phrase in the forecasters' lexicon: Subtropical Storm Arthur, or Cristobal or Gustav.

For the first time, names once reserved for tropical storms or hurricanes will be given to dangerous weather systems that are not purely tropical - an effort by forecasters to convey the life-threatening perils of such storms. Hurricane forecasters have tracked these subtropical storms for decades, using numbers instead of names to identify them. That will change this year. The names will come from the same list used for tropical systems. "We need to name these systems to make them more visible to the marine community," said Max Mayfield, director of the National Hurricane Center on Florida International University's campus in Miami. "I don't want ships caught out there in 50 or 60 mph winds." In a typical year, one or two subtropical storms form in the Atlantic, generally north of Bermuda. Last year, three such storms materialized, Mayfield said, underscoring the need to heighten the warnings. Something of a meteorological hybrid, subtropical storms - like tropical storms - have damaging winds of at least 39 mph, but they lack an intense inner core and the classic circular shape of tropical storms or hurricanes. Instead, these systems are stretched into a more amorphous form, like winter storms, and the strongest winds can be far from the center. Forecasters watch them closely and track their progress, Mayfield said, because they can become fierce and often "complete the transition," blossoming directly into tropical storms or hurricanes. Essentially, they represent a second pathway to the formation of hurricanes, one that exists outside the familiar evolution of tropical disturbance to tropical depression to tropical storm to hurricane. Last October, for instance, Subtropical Storm One morphed into Hurricane Karen. A month later, Subtropical Storms Two and Three became hurricanes Noel and Olga. Mayfield and other forecasters discussed the issue with top federal meteorologists, the U.S. Navy and Air Force, and other experts. Earlier this year, federal experts authorized the naming of subtropical storms as part of the National Hurricane Operations Plan. "You just don't get the public response unless you give it a name," said Lixion Avila, a lead forecaster at the hurricane center. "When you give it a name, you get the public's attention."

Graphic: 2002 storm names Arthur Bertha Cristobal Dolly Edouard Fay Gustav Hanna Isidore Josephine Kyle Lili Marco Nana Omar Paloma Rene Sally Teddy Vicky Wilfred

SOURCE: National Hurricane Center

Graphic: Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale

Source: U.S. National Hurricane Center

Credit: KRTN

Graphic: Hurricane survival tips

* Before storm season, trim back dead wood, secure rain gutters and spouts and stock wood to cover windows.

* When a hurricane watch is issued, fuel automobiles, tie down mobile homes, check that supplies are plentiful (batteries, flashlights, bottled water, canned goods, radio, etc.). Windows should be protected.

* Leave if local authorities call for an evacuation.

* If you stay, shut off water at the main and power at the fuse box.

* Move valuables to upper floors if possible, fill containers or tubs with several days' worth of drinking water, turn refrigerator to coldest setting and stay indoors on the downwind side of house, away from windows.

Source: The Associated Press