Home
Weather London
WeatherRadar
RainfallRadar
TemperatureRadar
WindRadar
LightningRadar
Weather News
Editor's Pick
Discover the app
Weather widget
Contact us
Apps
Career
    Home / Editor's Pick /

    Where do storm names come from?

11:00
19 February 2022

After Eunice hit...
Where do storm names come from?

We have felt the impact of three named storms in recent weeks, but do you know where the names come from?

Storm names are officially designated by the national forecasters from the UK, Ireland, and the Netherlands. Public suggestions from all three countries were collected to name the next 21 storms in the 2021/22 cycle.

The season started last November with Storm Arwen, closely followed by Barra in December. In quick succession we have now seen Corrie, Dudley, and Eunice make an impact in 2022.

Further storms will be as follows:

The eagle eyed among you may have realised something amiss, in accordance with international storm naming conventions the letters, Q, U, X, Y, and Z will not be used.

These five letters are not utilised in part due to the lack of variety in names beginning with the letters and also to maintain convention with the US hurricane warning system.

Storms receive their names when there is the potential for an amber or red warning in the UK or an orange and red warning in Ireland based on a combination of potential impacts and the likelihood of those impacts happening.

Ryan Hathaway
More on the topic
Temperature radar for Europe. A cold front and a blue arrow are shown.
Monday, 11 May 2026

Cooler in the UK already

Sudden temperature drop across Europe
Wind forecast map of the UK and northern Europe showing strong orange wind zones around a low-pressure system marked with a white “L,” alongside a black-and-white windsock warning icon.
Tuesday, 12 May 2026

Gusty conditions ahead

Low pressure brings windy days
The night sky glows with vivid aurora colours, showing bright green bands near the horizon blending into purple and pink streaks higher up. Dark silhouettes of trees frame the bottom of the scene.
Wednesday, 13 May 2026

To the north

Northern Lights could shine tonight
All weather news
This might also interest you
Split image showing aerial flooding in a town with muddy water covering roads on the left, and a rural road on the right blocked by heavy snowfall with vans stopped and a person walking in snow.
Tuesday, 27 January 2026

Storm Chandra

Flooding, gales, and heavy snow
Split image showing a person in a yellow jacket struggling against strong winds and heavy rain on a street at night on the left, and an Irish wind forecast map on the right with red and purple shading, gusts up to 75 mph, and a wind warning icon, divided by a curved white line.
Saturday, 24 January 2026

On this day...

Historic Storm Éowyn arrives
Weather graphic showing rain and wind fields over the Canary Islands and a central warning symbol.
Friday, 12 December 2025

Storm and rain

Turbulent weather in the Canary Islands
All articles
Weather & Radar

Weather & Radar is also available on

Google Play StoreApp Store

Company

Contact us Privacy Policy Legal info Accessibility statement

Services

Uploader

Socials

facebooktwittertikToklinkList