Have you ever wondered? When do storms get names?

It has been a stormy few weeks for many but despite the conditions there was no official name announced. Do you know when storms get names?

Names are chosen each year by members of the public. In the UK and Ireland we share our names with the Netherlands.

Storms are named when they could cause ‘medium’ or ‘high’ impacts in one of the three partner countries

It is said that the naming practice helps provide consistent and authoritative messaging in times of severe weather.

Storms first started receiving names in the UK and Ireland in 2015, and in November that year Storm Abigail became the first ever named storm.

Other groups of countries in Europe also name storms and it is agreed practice that when any national weather service names a system all other countries keep the same name.

Ex-hurricanes which cross the Atlantic Ocean also retain the name they were given by the US National Hurricane Centre in Miami – as happened with Ophelia in October 2017.

There are some rules when it comes to names. The letters Q, U, X, Y, and Z are not used. Party due to a lack of variety in names and also to maintain convention with the US hurricane warning system.

We are yet to see a named storm since the 2022-23 season began last September. When we do, we will be welcoming Storm Antoni.