- author, Barra Best
- Role, BBC News NI
We are asking for the public's help in selecting one of the possible storm names for the 2024/25 season.
Met Éireann narrowed the options down to two names: Hugo and Harvey.
But one prominent BBC Radio Ulster presenter says the answer is obvious.
Last year, Met Éireann invited the public to choose a name for the letter 'A'.
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public awareness
The storm naming program was launched in 2015 to increase public awareness of and engagement with severe weather events.
This is a collaboration between the weather services of the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands.
Voting opens on Monday and will last until 22:00 on Monday 29 July.
BBC Radio Ulster presenter Hugo Duncan said there was only one name on the ballot.
“It has to be Hugo – I can make the wind calm, the rain sweet, and I can sing to you,” he told BBC News.
“It would be nice if there was a storm named after me because people say I stir up a storm everywhere.”
Mr Duncan added: “Most of my life has been a storm, but we can all relax because the storm will be nice and calm.”
The storm naming initiative has generated significant interest online, with users questioning why Hugo or Harvey should be chosen.
Why are storms named?
Since 2015, Storm has only appeared with the letter “H” four times, first with Storm Henry in February 2016, followed by Hector in June 2018, Hannah in April 2019, and Henk in January 2024.
For decades, weather organizations around the world have used storm names as an effective tool to communicate important weather information to the public.
The names are chosen ahead of the storm season, and each storm is assigned a name in alphabetical order.
The full roster for the 2024/25 season will be announced in early September.
The letters Q, U, X, Y, and Z are not used, consistent with international storm naming conventions.
Storms named by other countries retain their names if they reach the coast of the United Kingdom, Ireland, or the Netherlands.
