MET ÉIREANN HAS released its list of storm names for 2018/2019.
This is the fourth year that Met Éireann and the UK Met Office have jointly run the ‘Name our Storms’ scheme, which aims to raise awareness of severe weather before it hits. The names are chosen based on submissions by the public.
Storms beginning with the letters Q, U, X, Y and Z will not be used in order to comply with international storm naming conventions.
This year, the first storm will be male and named Ali, while the second storm will be female and named Bronagh, following the alternating male-female pattern established by the US National Hurricane Center in the 1970s.
Here’s the full list of names:
A storm warrants a name when it’s of a scale that Met Éireann or the Met Office will issue an orange or red wind warning.
Evelyn Cusack, the head of forecasting at Met Éireann, said that the last 12 months have brought “some extreme weather around the globe” as well as here at home.
“While it is too early to say whether the coming winter will be a stormy one or a quiet one, we are prepared with a new set of 21 names for whatever nature may throw at us. Met Éireann is delighted to continue working with colleagues from the UK Met Office to warn of impending severe weather.”
Last October Storm Ophelia hit Ireland, cutting power to hundreds of thousands of homes, flooding areas, and destroyed buildings. Three people were killed during the storm.
Ireland also experienced a heatwave this summer, resulting in water restriction notices that are still in force.
Fleming explained the thinking behind the storm naming system when he announced the new plan back in 2014.
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