China will use social media to select new typhoon name

The National Meteorological Center met on Sept 12 to choose a new name for Typhoon Haima, which caused about $19.3 billion of damage in the Philippines.

During the 49th session of the Typhoon Committee, the name Haima was removed from the list and China was asked to submit a new name.

The National Meteorological Center will use social media platforms to make the selection for the first time. Three candidates will be selected between Sept 13 and Sept 18 through Weibo. Each candidate will provide three names, including a Chinese name, an English name and a special meaning. A committee will vote to select the final option.

According to the Typhoon Committee, 14 countries provide the typhoon names for the northwestern Pacific Ocean, 10 of which came from China, including Haikui, Wukong, Yutu, Bailu, Fengshen, Haishen, Dujuan, Dianmu and Haitang. Longwang and Haiyan have already been removed from the list due to the huge losses they caused.

Xin Wen contributed to this story.