The storm titles for the 2024–2025 season have been made public by the Met Office.
Storm Lilian was the 12th named storm of the season and the first to use the letter L in its name. Last week, it delivered high winds reaching 70 mph to parts of northern England and Wales.
First released in 2015, the updated storms list typically spans early September to late August of the following year, which corresponds with the start of autumn.
Named in honour of notable persons from the 170-year history of the Met Office, the new list includes James, Lewis, and Mavis.
What are the storm names for 2024/25?
The full list of names that will be used for storms in 2024-25 is: Ashley, Bert, Conall, Darragh, Eowyn, Floris, Gerben, Hugo, Izzy, James, Kayleigh, Lewis, Mavis, Naoise, Otje, Poppy, Rafi, Sayuri, Tilly, Vivienne, and Wren.
James is named after Group Captain James Stagg, the primary meteorologist who advised General Dwight Eisenhower on the weather during the D-Day landings, according to the forecaster.
Lewis is featured because Lewis Fry Richardson developed a theory that allowed computers to anticipate weather using physics and arithmetic.
Mavis Hinds, a pioneer of the Met Office computer program, is the inspiration behind that storm name.
Why are there no storms for Q, U, X, Y and Z?
Only 21 letters in the alphabet are included in the list of storm names as it is challenging to come up with six appropriate names (one for each of the six rotating lists), beginning with Q, U, X, Y, and Z.
You will never see your name on the list of storms if your name starts with these letters.
How are storm names chosen?
Anybody can propose a name for a storm, and the Met Office receives thousands of proposals every year. After that, it meets with the KNMI and Met Éireann to finalise the decisions. In the UK, Ireland, and the Netherlands, names are selected according to how well-liked and simple they are to pronounce.
When severe weather is predicted, storms are given names to facilitate communication. In times of extreme weather, this can help everyone to keep themselves, their property, and their companies safe and protected.
