Lists of names from A to W are issued in September which is the start of every storm season.

In line with the US National Hurricane Centre naming convention none start with Q, U, X, Y and Z.

Since storm names are suggested in collaboration with the Irish and Dutch weather services they reflect the diversity of all three countries and can result in some unusual choices.

Some names are some suggested by members of the public and some can be inspired by real-life people, public figures and even pets.

In the most recent storm list, “Bram” is for Bram Stoker, the Dracula author, while “Dave” was suggested by a member of the public to celebrate “my husband who snores three times louder than any storm”.

“Ruby” named after a beloved grandmother, was the most popular name beginning with R nominated for the current season.

However, since all lists begin with A and end with W, it is generally unlikely that names further down the list will actually be reached.

For example, there have never been more than 12 named UK storm names in a season. Names from the list the list starting with M , N. O etc have never been used. The busiest storm season was in 2023/24, which ended with Storm Lilian.

The quietest season in the last ten years was 2022/23 with Antoni and Betty both named in August just before the end of the season.