When wind and rain becomes a storm, according to Met Office

The Met Office's yellow weather warning will come into force from noon on Wednesday and end at 7am on Thursday.

Gusts are expected to reach up to almost 40mph in the city on Wednesday night.

Storm Agnes will begin to sweep into the district from 1pm with light rain and wind gusts of 21mph.

But how has Storm Agnes got her name and when do poor weather conditions like rain and wind become a storm?

Here's a brief explanation about storm naming by the Met Office.

Storm Agnes

The Met Office names storms in association with Ireland’s Met Eireann and the Netherland’s KNMI meteorology service.

The storm names for the 2023/4 season were announced by the Met Office early in September, in partnership with Met Éireann and KNMI.

Met Office contributions to the list include submissions from the public and names of those involved in responses to severe weather.

Agnes, Babet and Ciarán will be the first three named storms by the group this season.

Named storms by the group this season (Image: The Met Office)

Storms will be named by the group when they’re deemed to cause ‘medium’ or ‘high’ impacts in the UK, Ireland or the Netherlands.

Wind is the primary consideration for naming a storm, but additional impacts from rain or snow will also be considered in the naming process.

Why are storms named?

Will Lang, the Met Office's head of situational awareness who leads responses in times of severe weather, said it is the ninth year of naming storms.

He said: “We do it because it works. Naming storms helps to ease communication of severe weather and provides clarity when people could be impacted by the weather.

“This year, it’s great to be able to recognise the collaborative efforts of some of our partners across the UK with the inclusion of names from some partner organisations.

"Working across different agencies allows us to help as many people as possible be prepared for severe weather.”