Naming storms helps people prepare for bad weather

Should the weather be deemed serious enough to become a “named” storm, it will be the fourth of the winter season.

Under the scheme to make people more prepared for harsh weather, the Met Office and Irish weather service, Met Eireann, have named 21 storms after 10,000 public suggestions

They alternate between traditional male and female names and there are none for Q,U, X, Y and Z, as there are not enough recognisable monikers to adopt. The full list is for the season is: A – Angus B – Barbara C – Conor D – Doris E – Ewan F – Fleur G – Gabriel H – Holly I – Ivor J – Jacqui K – Kamil L – Louise M – Malcolm N – Natalie O – Oisin P – Penelope R – Robert S – Susan T – Thomas V – Valerie W – Wilbert Derek Ryall, head of public weather services at the Met Office, said: “By naming storms, more people were made aware of the approaching threat and were able to act on this information.

“A YouGov poll based on the first seven storms showed that 55% of those surveyed took steps to prepare for stormy weather after hearing that a storm had been named.

“People were just better informed.”