The storms will be named after weather experts from across the UK

This season’s storms could be named after experts working to protect people from extreme weather, the UK’s Met Office has said.

The Met Office, Met Éirean of Ireland and the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) have just published their list of names for the 2023/24 storm season. They work together to put together the list before the start of the season, which runs from September to August.

This year, some of them have been chosen in honor of real life. climate experts throughout the UK

How are storm names usually chosen?

Storms are named alphabetically avoiding the letters Q, U, X, Y, or Z to comply with international standards. These names come from the list published at the beginning of each season that usually alternates between male and female options.

This year, that pattern has been broken to make room for some special inclusions.

The first two names on the alphabetical list are Agnes and Babet. The third storm of the season will be called Ciarán Storm.

It was chosen because it was popular with the public, who can also submit names, but mainly in honor of Northern Ireland Department of Infrastructure worker Ciarán Fearon.

“In my role in the Department for Infrastructure, I work closely with local Northern Ireland communities and multi-agency partners to help keep everyone as warned and informed as possible,” he says.

“We need to respect every weather event and this work, particularly during periods of severe weather and storms, helps ensure that we are all as well prepared as possible to help. reduce the impact of such events.“

Fourth on the list went to Debi Garft, who recently retired as a Senior Policy Officer in the Scottish Government. Flood Equipment. Regina Simmons, Warning and Information team leader at Natural Resources Wales, also finds her name on the list.

The Irish weather service Met Éireann also contributes to the list, with names inspired by famous scientists. Jocelyn, for example, was attached to the famous physicist Dame Jocelyn Bell.

The latest contributor to the list is the KNMI, which often adds names of Dutch origin that visitors send to the meteorologist throughout the year.

ADVERTISEMENT

Why do we name storms?

Storms are named by the trio of organizations when they are deemed to have the potential to cause “medium” or “high” impacts in the UK, Ireland or the Netherlands. Wind is usually the main concern, but snow and rain can also factor into the decision to name a storm.

“This is the ninth year we’ve been naming storms, and we’re doing it because it works,” said Will Lang, the Weather Bureau’s head of situational awareness, who leads responses in times of severe weather.

“Naming storms helps facilitate severe weather communication and provides clarity when people might be affected by the weather.”