Met Eireann: Worse could be on the way

IT looks like Ophelia and Brian are just the tip of the iceberg as Ireland braces itself for Hector, Octavia, Tali and Winifred in coming months.

A series of storms are expected to batter the coastline leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.

Monday’s weather with gusts of up to 80mph did not make the alphabetical list of storms here as hurricanes have different warning systems. Ophelia followed Hurricane Nate, while Hurricane Phillipe has already passed through the US and parts of Europe.

Names for Irish and UK storms are chosen by forecasters in Met Eireann and the Met Office.

The criteria for a storm being named are: “A wind storm with potential for significant land-based impact has been

forecast. A severe wind event giving rise to status Orange or status Red weather warnings.”

The list alternates between the genders and this order will change each year.

The letters Q,U, X, Y and Z are not used to comply with international storm naming conventions.