Image copyright Mark Lewis

Members of the public are to be given the opportunity to name storms affecting the UK and Ireland.

People will be able to email possible names to the Met Office and send in suggestions via Facebook and Twitter.

It is hoped that naming storms will help raise awareness of severe weather and ensure people protect themselves and their property before it strikes.

The Met Office is teaming up with Met Eireann in Ireland to run the pilot project over the autumn and winter.

#nameourstorms

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

Names can be tweeted to @metoffice using #nameourstorms, sent in via the Met Office Facebook page or by email.

The names will be collated and a list compiled to include those proposed by Met Eireann and will then be taken from this list, in alphabetical order, alternating between male and female names.

Derrick Ryall, head of the public weather service at the Met Office, said: "The aim of this pilot is to provide a single authoritative naming system for the storms that affect the UK and Ireland.

"We have seen how naming storms elsewhere in the world raises awareness of severe weather before it strikes.

"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."

If a storm affecting the UK is the remnants of a hurricane that has moved across the Atlantic, the name will not be changed, and names that have previously been associated with storms that caused a loss of life in other parts of the world will not be used.