It was part of a “reserve list” of tropical cyclone names with regional characteristics developed by the Hong Kong Observatory with the help of the public in 2023. Dim-sum came fourth , with “milktea” coming out on top of the poll which attracted more than 20,000 votes. Dim-sum was Hong Kong’s contribution to the nine new tropical cyclone names introduced in 2026 to the list in the western North Pacific and the South China Sea. Since 2000, each of the 14 member countries provides 10 names, selected from the local language and culture of the area. The practice of naming storms started during the second world war when meteorologists from the US defence force named Pacific ocean storms after their wives and girlfriends.