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MET ÉIREANN AND the Met Office in the UK have announced the list of storm names chosen by the public.
The two meteorological organisations launched a pilot project last month to name storms that have the potential to affect the UK and/or Ireland.
To be in line with the US National Hurricane Centre naming convention, names which begin with the letters Q, U, X, Y and Z will not be included. The Met Office said this will “maintain consistency for official storm naming in the North Atlantic”.
Here are the names:
These will apply for autumn and winter 2015/2016.
Famous names
Met Éireann’s head of forecasting Gerald Fleming previously told us why certain names are avoided:
We won’t have a Storm Elizabeth for example, given our neighbours across the water. Or perhaps Enda – or Michael.
“Names of prominent people we would have to avoid. We have to be careful about these things,” he said.
A statement from the Met Office said: “Working together, it is hoped that naming storms will help raise awareness of severe weather and ensure greater safety of the public.
The Met Office and Met Éireann will continue to issue weather warnings in the normal way using the Met Office National Severe Weather Warning Service and Met Éireann Weather Warnings. A storm will then be named when it is deemed to have the potential to cause substantial impacts in the UK and/or Ireland.
“To avoid any confusion over naming, if a storm is the remnants of a tropical storm or hurricane that has moved across the Atlantic, the already established method of referring to it as, e.g. ‘Ex-hurricane X’ will continue.”
Met Éireann said the scheme is focused on “large-scale, cyclonic windstorms with potential for significant land-based wind impacts – often systems which develop rapidly and/or move quickly towards us”.
All severe “wind events giving rise to status Orange or status Red weather warnings” will be named.
The statement continues: “Technically, in the Beaufort Scale, the term ‘storm’ is reserved for wind events of mean speeds between 89 and 102 km/h. These are rare enough events overland in Ireland, occurring every couple of years or so on average; somewhat more frequently in the coastal waters around Ireland. However in the cases outlined here, names may be assigned at substantially lower thresholds.”
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People might start pronouncing my name right now!
Just forget the gh at the end of your name, Cloda
Honestly, living in London now and that’s what I have to tell people! Just don’t pronounce the gh! And they still struggle!
Storm Nigel, I’m terrified already, I,hope it won’t be as bad as storm Julian,when my deck chair blow over. Storms need hard names if you want people to take them seriously, if the Met said Storm Diablo was on its way, you just might take notice.
Your right there Stephen, I’d sit up and take notice if the met said storm Azrael was heading our way, but Wilbert??? come on, that’s a toff in a Tweed cap and breeches from the 1930s ffs.
> Storms need hard names if you want people to take them seriously…
Storm Chuck Norris.
Who from the 1940s was doing the naming? Vera, Barney?! Lol!!
They should all be called Grand, because no matter what damage they do in Ireland, more than half the population will tell you – “Sure it’ll be grand”, even if your feckin roof is ten miles away from your house.
No Enda Brian or Bertie!!!!I’m disappointed.
are you mad, they’d tear the country to shreds
again!
With Mohammed (including variations) being the most popular boys name in the UK, I’m surprised the UK Met office didn’t include it. Or would it have caused a bit of a storm?
Thanks for calling a storm after my dog Jake! No place for Joan or Enda though?
“Working together, it is hoped that naming storms will help raise awareness of severe weather”
Oh christ almighty LMFAO :-)
Higgins was my favourite.
Ronan Keating didn’t have to vote.. Think about it :-)
More like “These will apply for the next two weeks”.
Where is the obvious here’s Johnny
I don’t like the sound of ‘Gertrude’.
“Ultan”for “U”
have your say