Met Office announces names of next UK storms ahead of soaring temperatures next week
The Met Office has shared the full list of storm names that will be used during the next 12 months, paying homage to important figures from its history.
The Met Office has revealed its list of storm names for the year, beginning on September 1.
Typically, the forecaster asks the British public for name suggestions, which are then pooled together with those from Ireland's Met Eireann and the Dutch weather service KNMI. This time around, however, in a nod to its 170-year history, weather expert has incorporated some of its historical figures into list,
Among them are James (honouring D-Day forecaster Group Captain James Stagg), and Mavis (paying tribute to one of the first Met Office computer users, Mavis Hinds).
Simple Politics revealed the lineup of all 21 monikers on Instagram on Thursday (August 29), which begins with the names Ashley, Bert, and Conall. If we face upwards of 19 weather events over a 12-month period, Brits will have to brace themselves for the likes of storms Tilly, Vivienne, and Wren.
Additional names that have secured their spot on the list include Darragh, Eowyn, Floris, Gerben, Hugo, James, Kayleigh, Lewis, Naoise, Otje, Poppy, Rafi, and Sayuri. Commenting on the news on Instagram, one user said: "4 of those names live under one roof in my house, I feel it's an omen of things to come!"
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Others quipped about their personal connections to the storm names as one woman named Kayleigh simply pointed out: "My time has come." Whilst a third person expressed their delight, adding: "This makes up for all the times I couldn't find my name on things as a child. Thank you @metoffice!"
The Met Office names storms in alphabetical order but omits certain letters from the list. It previously clarified there are no storms bearing names beginning with Q, U, X, Y, and Z to align with the naming protocol of United States forecasting procedures.
This alignment exists because both the UK and US face the Atlantic Sea and could be hit by the same weather disruptions. Consequently, adopting a consistent naming convention across both nations aids in coherent communication for North Atlantic storms.
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This alignment exists because both the UK and US face the Atlantic Sea and could be hit by the same weather disruptions. Consequently, adopting a consistent naming convention across both nations aids in coherent communication for North Atlantic storms.
The responsibility of naming tropical cyclones falls to the United States' National Hurricane Center (NHC), under the guidance of the World Meteorological Organisation since 1953. In contrast to the UKs approach, the NHC employs six lists that cycle every six years, making it possible for hurricanes to share a name if they occur six years apart.
There is also provision for retiring storm names if they become particularly noteworthy. An additional detail is disclosed, indicating that beyond 21 named hurricanes in one year, subsequent storm names would be drawn from the Greek alphabet.
It comes ahead of predictions for soaring temperatures next week. The Met Office said in its long-range forecast for September 3 to September 12: "High pressure is most likely to be located either over or close to the UK through much of this period, leading to a more widely settled period of weather for most, with some cool nights, but near or slightly above average temperatures by day."
