CONALL, Darragh and Naoise are among the storm names for the year ahead it was announced today.
Met Éireann, along with the UK’s Met Office and the Netherlands’ KNMI weather service, have released the full list of 21 new storm names for the 2024/2025 season, which starts this Sunday, September 1.
Storms are named when they could cause ‘medium’ or ‘high’ impacts in one of the three partner countries.
Use of the names allows the weather services to keep the public informed and allow them to prepare for and stay safe during what cold potentially be severe weather events.
Met Éireann and the UK Met Office have been working together on the naming programme since 2015.
They were joined by the Netherland’s KNMI in 2019.
Each of the three meteorological services has given seven names to this season’s list, with Ireland’s contribution consisting of Conall, Darragh, Hugo, Izzy, Naoise, Poppy and Vivienne.
Met Éireann’s names were all taken from a list of more than 500 suggestions by primary school children across Ireland who participated in the ESB Science Blast competition last February.
“Our key priority is to help protect life and property from extreme weather and ensure the safety of our communities,” Eoin Sherlock, Head of Forecasting Division in Met Éireann, said as the names were announced.
“Year after year storm naming proves effective for that,” he explained.
“Naming each storm increases the level of public safety and preparedness as people are more likely to remember and respond to warnings when storms are named.
“Ireland, and the world, are experiencing the effects of severe weather events more frequently and more intensely as a result of climate change.
“We see how severe wind and rain events can directly impact public health, safety, and livelihoods,” he added.
“Now more than ever, it is crucial for younger generations to understand these risks so that they can safeguard their future by driving societal change, and their involvement in the names selection this year is proof of Met Éireann’s commitment to support their weather and climate awareness.”
With storm season approaching, Mr Sherlock urged the public to “prepare now”.
“We are entering storm season, so we advise people to prepare now for the possibility of severe weather,” he said.
“Basically, be winter ready, as public safety advice outlines.
“It is important to stay up to date on the latest forecasts and warnings on met.ie or on Met Éireann’s app.”
The remaining storm names for the upcoming season are Ashley, Bert, Éowyn, Floris, Gerben, James, Kayleigh, Lewis, Mavis, Otje, Rafi, Sayuri, Tilly and Wren.
Letters Q, U, X, Y, Z are not included in the storm names, in line with the US National Hurricane Centre naming convention.
“This is the tenth year of us naming storms and we do it because it works,” Will Lang, the UK Met Office’s Head of Situational Awareness, said.
“Naming storms helps to make communication of severe weather easier and provides clarity when people could be impacted by the weather.”