Met Éireann Announces New Storm Names for Upcoming Season, Including Homages to Irish Culture & Individuals
DUBLIN – Met Éireann, Ireland’s national meteorological service, has unveiled a fresh list of storm names for the upcoming season, drawing from over 10,000 public suggestions received from 4,137 members of the public. The selected names – Bram, Fionnuala, Gerard, Kasia, marty, Patrick and Tadhg – join a broader roster of 14 additional names: Amy, Chandra, Dave, Eddie, hannah, Isla, Janna, Lilith, Nico, Oscar, Ruby, Stevie, Violet and Wubbo.
The naming convention, a collaborative effort as 2015 wiht the UK Met Office and joined by the Netherlands’ KNMI in 2019, excludes the letters Q, U, X, Y, and Z, aligning with the naming practices of the US National Hurricane Center.
Several of the chosen names carry special meaning. Bram honors the celebrated irish author Bram Stoker, while Gerard acknowledges a man currently facing health challenges, to whom Met Éireann extended its best wishes. The name Tadhg was suggested by his grandmother, who described him as “a force of nature.”
“There were many personal stories of friends,family,loved ones,and pets,and also many suggestions honouring our history,culture,and literature,” stated Eoin Sherlock,Head of Forecasting Division at Met Éireann.
Sherlock emphasized the importance of storm naming as a tool to raise public awareness of severe weather. “We know that naming storms makes it easier for people to track important and up to date forecasts and safety-related facts,” he saeid, citing the example of storm Éowyn in January, which drove over 3 million visits to met.ie in just two days.
A storm receives a name when it is forecast to have ‘medium’ or ’high’ impacts in Ireland, the UK, or the Netherlands.The national weather service anticipating the greatest impact, or likely to be affected first, is responsible for naming the storm. Alongside a name, orange or red warnings for wind, rain, or snow – or a combination thereof – might potentially be issued, based on both numerical criteria and potential impacts.Met Éireann encourages the public to stay informed through its website and app, and to heed the Government’s “Be Winter Ready” advice as the storm season approaches. During storm Éowyn in January,a record gust of 184km/h was recorded at Mace Head,Co Galway on January 24,2025,provisionally surpassing the previous record of 182km/h set in Foynes,Co Limerick,in 1945.
