September 21st 2024.
Last week, on Crosby Beach in Liverpool, the brave souls of Bert, Kayleigh, and Naoise faced the fierce winds and sea spray of Storm Lilian. And it seems that they won't be the only ones to experience the wrath of Mother Nature in the coming year. The Met Office has released their list of storm names for the 2024/2025 season, which begins in September and coincides with the start of autumn.
Naming storms has been a practice in the US for a while now, but it wasn't until 2015 that Britain adopted the same tradition. This helps with communication and tracking of severe weather, making it easier to warn others and prepare for the impact. Just a few months ago, Storm Lilian (which was the tail end of Hurricane Ernesto) brought winds of over 70mph to northern parts of England and Wales.
So who will be the next namesakes for these powerful storms? Will anyone see their own name on the list? Here are the 21 names that have been chosen for the upcoming season: Ashley, Bert, Conall, Darragh, Eowyn, Floris, Gerben, Hugo, Izzy, James, Kayleigh, Lewis, Mavis, Naoise, Otje, Poppy, Rafi, Sayuri, Tilly, Vivienne, and Wren.
Last year, there were twelve named storms in alphabetical order, with Storm Lilian being the furthest they got in the alphabet. Unless we have a particularly stormy year, it's unlikely that we'll see Storm Wren. But with the ever-changing weather patterns, we can never be too sure.
As we say goodbye to the summer and hello to the end of the holidays, the Met Office has given us a glimpse of what's to come. Just a few days ago, temperatures reached a scorching 28°C in the south east, bringing an end to the sunny weather. But before we know it, we'll be facing the power of these storms.
The Met Office works closely with the Irish Met Eireann and the Dutch weather service KNMI to choose the names. And this year, they've decided to honor some historical figures from their 170-year history. James, Lewis, and Mavis are all included in the list, paying tribute to those who have made significant contributions to the world of weather and climate science.
James is named after Group Captain James Stagg, who was responsible for advising General Dwight Eisenhower on the weather forecast for the D-Day landings. Lewis is a nod to Lewis Fry Richardson, who developed a theory for using maths and physics to predict weather using computers. And Mavis is in honor of Mavis Hinds, who worked on the earliest Met Office computers.
But you may be wondering, why isn't Storm Boris on the list? Well, the answer is quite simple. Storm Boris was named by Italy's Servizio Meteorologico, who follows a different naming list than the UK. Italy is part of a group of countries in the central Mediterranean who decide together how to name storms that may impact their area. The UK, Ireland, and the Netherlands have their own group and naming system. So unfortunately for Bert, Storm Boris will not be making an appearance this year.
But who knows what the future holds? Maybe Bert will have another chance to leave his mark on a storm in the years to come. Until then, we'll just have to wait and see what kind of havoc Ashley, Kayleigh, and Naoise will bring upon us in the upcoming storm season. Stay safe out there!
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