Lost in translation

Hi everyone!

I’m a beginner in Japanese so please don’t be too strict))
But could please anyone be so kind to help me with one question.

I was reading (well, trying to decipher))) an article on NHK easy webpage, and there stood:
台風21号
I may be stupid but I don’t understand what is meant under a typhoon’s number?

Thanks in advance.

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Simply that, it’s the typhoon number 21

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Instead of giving the typhoons a name (like Jebi) they are just numbered in Japan, and the numbers start from 1 each year.

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If you hear Typhoon Jebi in western media, you can disregard that when it comes to news within Japan. The Pacific typhoons all get named with things that come from a list across all the Pacific countries, and Japan just uses the numbered order instead.

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Thanks a lot!

That’s it. I suspected that it might be the number, but I didn’t know from what point they start to count. Now I know that counting is renewed every year. Great, thank you so much!

It’s not all that different from how Atlantic hurricanes start from names that begin with A every year and the names go in order from there.

Looking at the list, the next time a storm forms it’ll be Helene.

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thanks! I just live in a region where there are no typhoons or hurricanes, so that system is new for me. I heard many hurricanes’ names but did not know the system of this naming.
Thanks a lot!

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