A wave pounds Lahinch in Co Clare during the 2014 storms. Photo: PA

Irish people are to be given the opportunity to name storms in an initiative which hopes to raise awareness of severe weather.

Met Eireann is teaming up with the Met Office to run a piloted project over the forthcoming autumn and winter.

The public will be able to name storms affecting both Ireland and the UK by tweeting possible names to both weather authorities or sending suggestions via Facebook and email.

Neither weather service gives names to low-pressure systems currently.

It is hoped that by naming storms, awareness will be raised of severe weather and ensure greater public safety for future gales, hurricanes and blizzards.

Service

Derrick Ryall, head of public weather service at the Met Office, said the naming of storms has been commonplace elsewhere and hoped that a similar naming system could be introduced in Ireland and the UK.

“We hope that naming storms in line with the official severe weather warnings here will do the same and ensure everyone can keep themselves, their property and businesses safe and protected at times of severe weather,” he added.

Storm names will then be taken from this list, in alphabetical order, alternating between male and female names.

A storm will be named when it is deemed to have the potential to cause ‘medium’ or ‘high’ wind impacts on Ireland and the UK.

Names that have previously been associated with storms that caused a loss of life in other parts of the world will not be used for the Ireland and the UK naming system.

Online Editors