The Met Office says that a storm is simply any violent atmospheric disturbance, can also be a snowstorm. It’s usually due to low pressure and strong winds.
What are Met Office Weather Warnings?
Met Office weather warnings are given out, to alert people of impending storms. This is obviously important for people who work on the sea, so they know not to take their boats out.
- Yellow warnings just warns of potential bad weather.
- Amber warnings cover a smaller area, but be prepared for disruption.
- Red warnings (rare) are when there is high confidence of severe impact.
Why Do Storms All Have Names?
It names storms even before they occur, so all the names for storms in 2025 are mapped out already. Some have already occurred (Storm Bert). Others are named in advance:
- Izzy
- Kayleigh
- Mavis
- Poppy
- Vivenne
- Wren
The public help in naming storms, which is done so that there is a simple system for safety on both land and sea. The storms are jointly named with weather forecasters in Ireland and The Netherlands, so everyone is hearing the same name, when hearing Severe Weather Warnings.
There are no storm names beginning with the letters Q, U, X, Y and Z, in line with the US National Hurricane Centre, in case they need to tell people of a storm on the other side of the pond.
How to Keep Safe In Thunderstorms
If caught in a thunderstorm, keep a safe distance from trees and metal objects (umbrellas, golf clubs, motorbikes, wheelchairs, tent poles). Stay inside cars (fabric tops could catch fire, if struck). Also don’t take baths or showers, avoid swimming pools and don’t use your phone.
If exposed, squat close to the ground with hands on knees, and tuck your head between them, touching as little of the ground with your body (don’t lie down). If your hand stands on end, drop to the above position immediately.
What Causes Thunder & Lightning?
Thunderstorms simply occur, when there are electrical discharges, that cause unstable air resulting from warm air and colder air underneath. This results in flashes of light and sound waves. Usually it also rains or hails. Sometimes you can get even get ‘thundersnow’.
Where in England Has Most Thunderstorms?
The East Midlands receives the most thunderstorms in England. Worldwide, thunderstorms are more common in hot and humid weather, like rainforests. Venezuela has the most thunderstorms on earth, often receiving them for over 150 nights a year, lasting up to 10 hours.
To determine how far away a thunderstorm is, count the seconds from the lighting flash to the thunder boom. Divide by five, and you’ll know how many miles away you are from the storm.
Are Storms Linked to Climate Change?
Climate experts say that the storms themselves are not always caused by climate change. But warmer oceans and atmospheres can make them more intense, with higher winds, heavier rains and more coastal flooding.
What Were England’s Worst-Ever Storms?
- Bristol Channel (1607) killed 2000 people and many farm animals, caused either by a spring tide surge or possibly a tsunami.
- The Great Storm (1703) killed thousands of people (mostly in southern England) and swept away Eddystone Lighthouse in Cornwall.
- The Great Blizzard (1891) killed 200 people and 6000 animals, and shut down roads, railways and brought down trees in Cornwall and Devon.
- North Sea Flood (1953) flooded huge areas of Eastern England, drowning 326 people and forcing 30,000 people from their homes. This storm led to the Thames Barrier being built, to stop the City of London having something similar occur.
- The Big Freeze (1963) was one of the coldest ever winters, which lasted until March. Many rivers and lakes froze. Literary buffs will know this was the harsh winter when the American poet Sylvia Plath killed herself, in a London flat once lived in by fellow poet YB Yeats.
- The Great Storm (1087) was unfairly blamed on weather forecaster Michael Fish (he did give a warning, but the Met Office was not so accurate – they would have predicted it today). 18 people died along with 15 million trees being lost, and thousands of people went without power.
- Storm Ciara (2020) on England’s south coast brought gusts of up to 97mph, and left at least 20,000 people without power.
- Storm Arwen (November 2021) brought down thousands of mature trees in Cumbria, and three people died. Millions of people also lost power. And the storm also affected the Scottish North Sea coast, when hundreds of grey seal pups were lost from beaches.
- Storm Eunice (2022) put the Isle of Wight on red alert, with wind speeds of 122pm (the fastest ever recorded in England).
- Storm Darragh (2024) was a rare red alert in southwest England, when winds of up to 90mph brought down trees and power lines, leaving tens of thousands of people without power for days. Trains and airports were also forced to cancel services.
What Causes England’s Gale-Force Winds?
If you live in England, it’s likely that you’ve often had an umbrella blow down the street, or lost your hat in a gale-force wind! Not just for people walking on top of mountains, England is a very windy country (hence why we have so many wind turbines, which aren’t needed as much as you’d think – offshore farms can harm wildlife and birds, more on that in other posts).
Kites can slice off birds’ wings in the sky, or tangle wings. You can buy biodegradable ones from cornstarch, but it’s best not to use them. If you do, don’t fly kites at dusk or dawn (when birds are most likely in flight).
Wind is basically caused by differences of atmospheric pressure (the rising and sinking of air). Low pressure is when rises, and high pressure is when it sinks. Wind can be good (a gentle sea breeze or a nice way to get your washing dry outside).
But inland (away from cool dense air at sea, which gets little wind), we get a build-up of pressure which causes high winds. Our jet stream is a collection of strong wings a few miles above our planet, they blow from west to east.
Unsurprisingly, the windiest places in England are usually in mountainous areas (like Cumbria’s Lake District), with nearly all the other very windy areas in the UK being in the Scottish mountains.
Of the top 10 windiest places in the UK, nearly all of them are in Scotland (including The Shetland Isles). Only 2 are in England – Sunderland and surprisingly, the Isle of Wight!
Another very windy place is the East of England, due to low pressure pockets coming in from the North Sea. If you think it’s cold in Cornwall or the Midlands, wait until you live through a winter in Northumberland or Norfolk!
Ever wondered where the windiest place on earth is? Despite us thinking it’s very quiet, the windiest place is actually Antarctica. Wind speeds here can be an average of 50mph, or even up to 150mph (that’s classed as a super-typhoon!)
I can’t change the direction of the wind. But I can adjust my sails, to always reach my destination. Jimmy Dean
Notice that the stiffest tree is cracked. While the bamboo or willow survives, by bending with the wind. Bruce Lee
Who has seen the wind? Neither you nor I, but when the trees bow down their heads, the wind is passing by. Christina Rossetti
What are Typhoons, Hurricanes & Cyclones?
These are all cyclonic weather events that form in tropical areas, and result in high wind speeds of over 74 miles an hour. Hurricanes in the Atlantic while typhoons form in the West Pacific and Cyclones form south of the Equator (Australia or Madagascar).
They are all measured on the Saffir-Simpson scale. One or two are dangerous so prevention measures are needed. Hurricane 3 has potential for loss of life.