Agnes, Babet and Ciarán and Mark make 2023/24 Met Office storm list ⛈️
Last updated 1st Sep 2023
The Met Office has revealed the storm names for the 2023/24 season, and this year the names of those who work to keep people safe in times of severe weather have been included.
Meteorologists name storms when they are expected to have a "medium" or "high" impact on people in the UK, Ireland or the Netherlands.
Wind is the primary consideration for naming a storm, but additional impacts from rain or snow will also be considered in the naming process.
Storms are named to aid communication when severe weather is in the forecast. This can help everyone to keep themselves, their property and businesses safe and protected at times of severe weather.
Will Lang, head of situational awareness at the Met Office, said: "This is the ninth year of us naming storms and we do it because it works.
"Naming storms helps to ease communication of severe weather and provides clarity when people could be impacted by the weather."
Ciarán was submitted by the public but is also the name of Ciarán Fearon, who works for the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. He uses Met Office forecasts on a regular basis and ensures relevant information is shared on river levels, coastal flooding and other impacts of severe weather.
He said: “With the effects of climate change, we are more aware than ever of how weather can affect us all in every aspect of our daily lives. In my role with the Department for Infrastructure I work closely with local communities in Northern Ireland and multi-agency partners to help keep everyone as warned and informed as possible.
“We need to respect each weather event and this work, particularly during periods of severe weather and storms, helps to ensure that we are all as well prepared as possible to help reduce the impact of such events.”
Met Éireann’s submissions are inspired by famous scientists, including Jocelyn after Dame Jocelyn Bell, the famous astrophysicist.
Names from KNMI are often of Dutch origin and many were submitted by public visitors to the forecaster throughout the year.