Hurricane Kirk: How Met Office names UK storms and what the next will be called

The warned that Britain is set to be battered with even more and strong winds thanks to the remnants of Hurricane Kirk - and there is a reason this mighty storm has a name.

Britain has been hit with a truly gloomy autumn and it doesn't look like it's going to get better any time soon. But how do these events get named? Hurricanes are globally named, and Kirk, which started in the middle of the Atlantic is just the latest to hit, but naming them is nothing new.

Hurricane names follow an alphabetical order, just like storms, and previously to Kirk was hurricane Joyce which mostly hit Cuba. had winds reported of 145mph (233 km/h) and remained a major hurricane over open waters, but as it made its way towards Europe and it influenced UK weather with heavy wind and rain. While hurricanes aren't usually something to worry about in the UK, hurricane Kirk has proved anything can happen.

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Hurricane alphabet cycles are chosen by the (WMO), a specialized agency of the United Nations, and they have been responsible for naming hurricanes and tropical storms in the Atlantic Ocean and other regions since the 1950s. Similarly, naming storms has been a process that started in the US back in 1950 as it was a way to make it easier for people to "engage with weather forecasts" and naming storms and other weather events allowed people to compare them, discuss and follow.

The then followed suit and believed that it's "easier to follow the progress of a storm on TV, radio, or social media if it has a name" according to .

When do hurricane names get announced?

Hurricane season officially started on June 1, and runs to the end of November. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had predicted an "above average" hurricane season for 2024, with 17 to 25 named storms, eight to 13 hurricanes, and four to seven major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher.

Why do storms and hurricanes get named?

The aim behind naming them is to try to provide a single, authoritative label for an event that can help people communicate clearly about it. The reason storms get named is quite important - as it's to provide clear communication, which can make all the difference in a crisis. So the hope of the naming system is to contribute to keeping people and property as safe as possible in the face of extreme weather.

Why are there no storms beginning with Q, U, X, Y and Z?

The Met Office says that no storms have names beginning with Q, U, X, Y and Z to keep in line with the United States' forecasting procedure. This consistency is in place because the UK and the US both have coasts on the Atlantic Sea and so can be impacted by the same storms. Following the same system as America means that names on the North Atlantic can be done consistently across both countries.

The United States' National Hurricane Center, or NHC, is tasked with naming tropical cyclones, a job it has had since 1953 and is overseen by the World Meteorological Organisation. The system for Hurricanes is a little different to storm naming in the UK, with six lists on rotation meaning that a hurricane could have the same name if it occurs six years apart.

The names of particular storms can be retired from their list and replaced with something else and if more than 21 hurricanes happen in a year, then their name will be taken from the Greek alphabet.

What will the next storm be called?

Here are the storm names for the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season and these names can be used for hurricanes, tropical storms and other weather events that originate in the Atlantic Ocean.

• Alberto
• Beryl
• Chris
• Debby
• Ernesto
• Francine
• Gordon
• Helene
• Isaac
• Joyce
• Kirk
• Leslie
• Milton
• Nadine
• Oscar
• Patty
• Rafael
• Sara
• Tara
• Valerie
• William

Do you have a story to share? Email Niamh.Kirk@reachplc.com

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