Storm dies out, but will live on in infamy

Combine the decade's worst storm and the holiday season, and what do you get?

How about "Typhoon Merry"?

Or maybe " 'Twas the Blackout-Before-Christmas Storm"?

The National Weather Service, struggling with what to call the devastating and deadly windstorm, announced a naming contest last week. The creative were happy to oblige.

Typhoon Merry, for example, was one of three names suggested by Lynette Foulds of Renton. She also suggested "The Million Man Storm" and "Seattle Unplugged."

Janet Brown of Monroe suggested the storm be called "The Holiday Snafu," explaining that "it really crippled holiday plans — shopping, travel, decorations, comfortable at home."

We already had the Inauguration Day Storm of 1993, the Thanksgiving Day Storm of 1983 and the Columbus Day Storm of 1962. Though this storm happened on the eve of Hanukkah, it didn't actually happen on a holiday. Some still suggested it be named the Hanukkah Storm.

"This event needs a name," the weather service's Ted Buehner said last week, and the public responded with a flood of ideas; many were also sent to The Times.

• Cathy Horton of Seattle suggested "Windsock 2006."

• Carol Nielsen tossed out a basket full of names, many tongue-in-cheek, such as the "Why-don't-they-bury-the-cables-underground Storm," or the "My-generator-is-bigger-than-your-generator Storm." More seriously, she suggested "December's Disastrous Dance," "The Big Blow" and the "Pre-Christmas Storm of 2006."

• Vincent Gonzales of Seattle threw out just one suggestion, "The Metronatural Storm," while Janet Shea, from Rhode Island, said it should be called "The Evergreen Storm."

"My daughter moved to Bellevue this year and was without power in the Phantom Lake neighborhood for a solid week with three children and no heat," she said. "It was quite a welcome to the Evergreen State for many folks new to the area."

• Al Garay was one of two readers who suggested the storm be called the "Gone-with-the-Wind Storm" in honor of the date the movie debuted in Atlanta in 1939. "Suits well, since the wind was the most damaging effect and so many things were gone with the wind, such as power, trees, school and business operation," he said.

• "All of my friends have been calling it Revenge of the Trees," wrote Matthew McKay.

• And there have been many, many more: "Blowhard 2006," "Shame on (the losing) Seahawks Storm (Triple S)," "The Wintergreen," "The Breaker" (it broke records and trees), "The Big One," "Blackout Blow," "Holiday Storm," "Power Puncher."

• And we can't ignore the reader who tossed out this one: " 'Twas-the-Eleventh-night-before-Christmas-with-eleven-pipers-piping-up-a-storm storm."

The weather service is accepting entries until Thursday via namethewindstorm@noaa.gov . There's no prize for the winner, except, as the weather service says:

"The winner will be able to say, 'I named that storm!' "

Susan Gilmore: 206-464-2054 or sgilmore@seattletimes.com