Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Name our storms: Met office weather hashtag prompts typical British creativity on Twitter

There have been plenty of suggestions already

Roisin O'Connor
Tuesday 08 September 2015 07:50 EDT
Comments
The Met Office wants the public to think of names for storms in the UK and Ireland
The Met Office wants the public to think of names for storms in the UK and Ireland (Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The Met Office is giving the public a chance to name storms affecting the UK and Ireland, in an attempt to create greater awareness of "major weather threats".

People are being encouraged to send their suggestions via Facebook and email, or on Twitter using the hashtag #nameourstorms.

A Met Office spokesman said: "There is no system at the moment for naming storms. It is random and you can get the same storm being given different names by different forecasters.

"This is what leads to confusion in the media and the public and why we are piloting an official system."

St Jude's Storm in 2013 has been cited as a good example of how names can help people can prepare for a weather event.

Obviously people are already having fun with the hashtag on Twitter, and there have been plenty of suggestions involving current topics and cultural references:

Things got political:

And inevitably everyone started making the same joke

Do you have any better suggestions? Let us know in the comments below

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in