This year’s storm list unveiled as public pick names in tribute

Forecasters want to raise awareness of the threat and the dangers of severe weather, as Emily Beament reports

- Emily Beament reports

AMY, Bram and Chandra will be the first named storms of this winter, meteorologists revealed, after more than 50,000 suggestions were submitted by the public.

The UK’s Met Office, in partnership with Ireland’s Met Eireann and the Dutch national weather forecasting service, KNMI, has announced the list of this year’s storm names, saying many people put forward suggestions in tribute to loved ones and even favourite pets.

While people have submitted choices in honour of husbands who snore louder than storms or little girls who leave chaos in their wakes, the Met Office said the purpose of naming storms was a serious one - to help people take notice, prepare and stay safe in severe weather.

The Met Office and its partners have been naming storms since 2015, with the list running from early September to the following August, to coincide with the start of autumn, when the likelihood of low-pressure systems and the potential for storms severe enough to be named increases.