Storm Ali is set to sweep across the UK today bringing high winds and heavy rainfall. Over the past few weeks, there have been several other major storms across the world, including Hurricane Florence in the USA and Typhoon Mangkhut in Asia. But why are these storms named, and how?
In the 1970s, the US National Hurricane Centre developed a system of naming storms. The system followed an alphabetical sequence with alternate male/female names.
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| 2018 UK storm names (Image credit: Met Office) |
The idea is that applying a name to a storm helps to raise public awareness and prompt people to take action, such as checking their house or property for any loose items, visiting young or elderly neighbours, and keeping livestock safe.
Storm names also help to identify and distinguish different storm systems before they become a significant storm and make landfall.
The lists of names in the UK are chosen each year based on suggestions from the public, which includ some of the most popular names as well as a more diverse range of names to represent the different cultures, backgrounds and countries within the UK. The convention requires that Q, U, X, Y and Z are not used.
A long list of 21 names is therefore compiled in readiness for each season, but with Storm Ali arriving today, how long will it be before Bronagh, Callum, and Deirdre are on their way…?
>> Can you make a list of your own storm names?