Aiden, Bella, Christoph: Storm names revealed for 2020-21

Aiden will be the first storm to blow in across the UK and Ireland this winter, according to the new list of names for this year’s strongest weather systems.

Bella, Gavin, Julia, Minnie, Oscar, Ravi, Saidhbhin and Wilson are among the storm names for 2020-21 announced by the Met Office, along with Met Eireann and Dutch national weather forecasting service the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI).

Now heading into its sixth year, the Name our Storms collaboration aims to raise awareness of the potential impact of severe weather before it arrives.

The 2020-21 list has been compiled from names suggested by the public which reflect the diversity of the three nations.

Others on the list include Christoph, Darcy, Evert, Fleur, Heulwen, Iain, Klaas, Lilah, Naia, Phoebe, Tobias and Veronica.

From September 1, the first storm to hit the UK, Ireland and/or the Netherlands will be named Aiden, while the second storm will be Bella.

As in previous years, Q, U, X, Y and Z will not be used, to comply with international storm-naming conventions.

The announcement comes after a month of extreme weather in the UK, which has included two named storms, a heatwave and the hottest August day recorded in 17 years.

Last week, the UK was battered by Storm Francis, which saw gusts of 81mph hit The Needles near the Isle of Wight, days after Storm Ellen struck.

The storms followed a spell of blistering heat, which included a high of 36.4C at Heathrow and Kew Gardens.

Will Lang, head of the national severe weather warning service at the Met Office, said: “The impacts from Storm Ciara and Dennis earlier this year are still fresh in many people’s minds and although it’s too early to anticipate what weather this autumn and winter will bring, we are prepared with a new list of names to help raise awareness of severe weather before it hits.”

Evelyn Cusack, head of forecasting at Met Eireann, said: “This summer has closed with Storms Ellen and Francis bringing wet and windy weather to our shores.

“As we begin the new storm season for 2020-21, Met Eireann forecasters look forward to working in close co-operation with our colleagues in the UK and Netherlands by continuing to provide a clear and consistent message to the public, encouraging people to take action to prevent harm to themselves or to their property at times of severe weather.”