I'll name that storm...

In recent years the naming of wind storms such as the ‘St Jude’s day storm’ has highlighted the benefits of establishing a formal system for the naming of mid-latitude storms.

As storms moving in from the Atlantic often first make landfall on our shores, Met Éireann and the Met Office will be naming severe storms through the autumn and winter 2015/16.

Derrick Ryall, Head of the Public Weather Service at the Met Office, said: “The aim of this pilot is to provide a single authoritative naming system for the storms that affect UK and Ireland.  

“We have seen how naming storms elsewhere in the world raises awareness of severe weather before it strikes. We hope that naming storms in line with the official severe weather warnings here will do the same and ensure everyone can keep themselves, their property and businesses safe and protected at times of severe weather.”

The names will be collated and a list compiled to include those proposed by Met Éireann. Storm names will then be taken from this list, in alphabetical order, alternating between male and female names. 

A storm will be named when it is deemed to have the potential to cause ‘medium’ or ‘high’ wind impacts on the UK and/or Ireland, ie if a yellow, amber or red warning for wind has been issued by Met Éireann and/or the Met Office’s National Severe Weather Warning Service (NSWWS). 

If a storm affecting the UK is the remnants of a hurricane that had moved across the Atlantic, the name would not be changed, and would instead be referred to as ‘ex-hurricane X’, for example. This will avoid any confusion in regards to where the storm system originated. 

Please note: Names should not be used if they have previously been associated with storms that caused a loss of life in other parts of the world.