Betty, Wouter, Priya and Ruadhán – just some of the names the Met Office has added to its roster for the 2022 storm season after Arwen, Dudley and Eunice hit the UK with severe weather including record winds and rain

With today (September 1) being the first meteorological day of Autumn, the Met Office has issued its list of storm names for the upcoming season, and it’s a list which reflects the multicultural nature of society.
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While we all hope to see the summer weather extend into September, the the first signs of colour change on the trees signifies the onset of autumn and the start of the storm season.

Last year (2021) the North East was battered by a number of storms including Arwen, which struck in November causing blocked roads and widespread damage to buildings.

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And in February, the region was battered by Storm Dudley and Storm Eunice, which led to power cuts and saw England’s highest recorded wind-speed of 122mph.

An uprooted tree in Sunderland caused by Storm Arwen.An uprooted tree in Sunderland caused by Storm Arwen.
An uprooted tree in Sunderland caused by Storm Arwen.
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The first allocated names for this season’s storms are Antoni, Betty, Cillian and Daisy. Hopefully we don’t come to see them, but names further down the list include Priya, Ruadhan, Tobias and Wouter.

Potential storm names – some of which may not be used depending on the number of storms – are listed and allocated in alphabetical order and are created in partnership between the Met Office, its Irish counterpart Met Éireann, and The Royal Dutch Meteorological Institute.

It’s the eighth year of the storm naming project, which was designed to raise the profile and awareness of incoming storms, to warn people of potential dangers and reduce the risk to the public.

Damage at Hebburn Town FC following Storm Arwen.Damage at Hebburn Town FC following Storm Arwen.
Damage at Hebburn Town FC following Storm Arwen.
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The names on the Met Office’s list have were submitted by the public, with Daisy, Glen, Khalid and Owain among the suggestions, showing the breadth of names in use across the UK. Betty was declared a winner in a public vote on the Met Office’s Twitter account, with over 12,000 votes cast to select the name for the letter B.

The Royal Dutch Meteorological Institute selected names including Antoni, Hendrika, Johanna and Loes – all named after influential Dutch scientists.

Met Éireann’s submissions included Cillian, Fleur, Íde, and Nelly.

Antoni will be the first named storm of the new season and will be named when a system is forecast to cause "medium or high impacts in the UK, Ireland or the Netherlands”.

Damage to buildings in Hartlepool caused by Storm Arwen.

Picture: Carl Gorse.Damage to buildings in Hartlepool caused by Storm Arwen.

Picture: Carl Gorse.
Damage to buildings in Hartlepool caused by Storm Arwen. Picture: Carl Gorse.
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Will Lang, the Met Office’s head of situational awareness, who leads responses during periods of severe weather, said: “We know from seven years of doing this that naming storms works.

"Last year, Storms Arwen and Eunice brought some severe impacts to the UK and we know that naming storms helps to raise awareness and give the public the information they need to stay safe in times of severe weather.

“Recent impactful storms demonstrated our ongoing need to communicate severe weather in a clear way to help the public protect themselves.

"Naming storms is just one way that we know helps to raise awareness of severe weather and provides clarity for the public when they need it most.”

The full list of names includes:

*Antoni

*Betty

*Cillian

*Daisy

*Elliot

*Fleur

*Glen

*Hendrika

*Íde

*Johanna

*Khalid

*Loes

*Mark

*Nelly

*Owain

*Priya

*Ruadhán

*Sam

*Tobias

*Val

*Wouter

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