Temperatures dipped below freezing in London on Thursday night (November 21) as Storm Bert took hold in the UK.
Amber and yellow warnings for snow and ice have been listed by the Met Office for parts of the country this weekend.
Bert is the second named storm the weather agency has declared for the 2024-25 season, which began in September and will end next August.
Storm Ashley was felt from October 21-22.
Although we have already reached the letter ‘B’ in the A-Z list, it will have to be an unprecedented year to go further into the alphabet than we reached in 2023-24.
Storm Lilian was reached in August - the first time Britain has ever had a storm name with the letter L.
Now that Bert is upon us, here is what lies ahead for the UK in terms of storm names.
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.
Why do storms get named?
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.
