Met Office launches search for storm names
Your own name, a best friend, a favourite pet or just a loved one who is really into the weather - the Met Office wants people to come up with some new names for storms. The national weather service for the UK is asking for name suggestions for the 2025/2026 list of storm names which is due to be released later this year. Anyone can put forward a name, along with a reason, and names can be submitted for each letter of the alphabet, apart from Q, U, X, Y and Z.There have been five named storms so far in the 2024/25 season, with Storm Eowyn the last one named on January 21.The Met Office says it will work with Met Eireann in Ireland and Dutch weather service KMNI, to put out a new list later this year.
Why do storms have names?
The Met Office started giving storms names back in 2015, in the same way they do in America.The idea is that naming storms helps with communication and helps people become more aware of them. Will Lang, chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said: "We all remember the impactful storm names of recent years."Whether it's Eunice, Franklin, Bert or another impactful event, the storm-naming system has helped us communicate weather to help people stay safe.
How are storm names picked?
The Met Office has always taken suggestions from the public. It advises people to think about how difficult a name might be to pronounce and whether it means something else in another country or is in any way controversial. The names that are chosen are then put into alphabetical order.Not every storm in the UK has a name and not every named storm comes from the list. Sometimes the UK will be hit by storms from Europe, the US or other countries, and the storm will keep the name the first country it affected gave it.Will Lang, chief meteorologist at the Met Office says they now want the public to help put together this year's list."Whether you want to honour a weather lover in your family, remember a family pet or get a friend's name in the headlines, we welcome submissions from the public to help us pull together next year's list of storm names."You can send in your suggestion, along with your reason why, over on the Met Office's website.
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