Australia’s next tropical cyclone gets name change to avoid confusion with prime minister | Australia news

Tropical Cyclone Zelia may have dissipated but it won’t be the last to threaten Australia’s coastline and the next one has forced a name change before it even forms.

Zelia, which crossed the Western Australian coast on Friday, brought the Bureau of Meteorology to the end of an alphabetical list that alternates by gender, with the next cyclone due to be named Anthony.

But with the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, occupying The Lodge, the decision was made to jump to the next A-initial name on the list: Alfred.

“When a name matches a prominent person of the time, we reorder to the next name starting with that same letter to avoid any confusion,” a bureau spokesperson said on Monday.

The change to the bureau’s list took place earlier in February.

Australia will vote within months on whether Albanese continues to lead the nation, with polls indicating the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, could restore the Liberal-National coalition to power.

If Dutton is successful, it could pose a similar, albeit less clearcut, problem for the bureau 16 cyclones on from now.

The next P-named cyclone is Peta, a traditionally feminine spelling of the nonetheless identically pronounced name.

The bureau did not respond when asked about that one, but with an average of 11 cyclones forming in the nation each season, it might have to make a decision before long.