ECHOES OF THE LAST MIND

ORIGIN: https://www.yourweather.co.uk/news/

Why did we start naming storms, and has it helped communicate the dangers of severe weather?

How has naming storms improved communication about the dangers they could pose? Image: Adobe.

Giving a storm a name gives it an identity and makes it easier for the Met Office to disseminate the dangers of severe weather.

Since Storm Abigail, the first storm to be named a decade ago, naming storms has become the cornerstone of weather communication in the UK – evidence by the record-breaking 40,000 names suggested for the current, 2025/26 season.

Why name storms?

Storm names have become “part of our national vocabulary,” said Will Lang, chief meteorologist at the Met Office. Storm names are chosen based on several criteria, including how easy the name is to pronounce, whether it has been used elsewhere – to name a hurricane for example – or if it is controversial or political in any way.

The Met Office and Western Europe naming group partners, Met Éireann and KNMI (the Dutch weather forecasting service) have named 70 storms in the last 10 years.