As you can see, Selwyn gave a very interesting lesson in Hebrew. (Well done, Selwyn!) And, while it's true that the Hebrew alefbet has no consonants, there does exist a system of minor symbols -- called "nikkudim" which have been developed over the centuries to stand in as vowels and aid in the pronunciation of Hebrew words.
Can you possibly spell out your friend's name by naming the Hebrew letters in it? The Hebrew word "Shoah" does literally mean "storm", but it is more often recognized today as the Hebrew word for the Holocaust. I can't really imagine parents naming their daughter after such a thing.
A similar-sounding name to "Shoaleh" might be "Shuala", which means "fox".
Why don't you have your friend ask her parents what they had in mind when they named her? :)
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Nanaea