Why there are no named winter storms this year

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By February the UK will normally have around three storms named by the Met Office - like Arwen, Barra and Callum. But so far this fall and winter there hasn't been one.

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Weather patterns have been calm across the Atlantic and northwest Europe. What could be the reason behind this?

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The forces behind this year's lack of storms also contributed to December's cold snap. There are many factors at work

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In previous years, the first named storm occurred in early December. And by the end of January, there will normally have been three storm surges affecting the UK.

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Storms can cause life-threatening damage with strong winds, heavy rain, and even heavy snowfall that can cause millions of pounds of damage.

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The busiest autumn/winter season was 2015–16, when a total of eight named storms affected the UK by early February.

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During February 2022, three storms were named within a week. Dudley, Eunice and Franklin influenced hundreds of thousands of homes.

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According to the Association of British Insurers, insurance payouts resulting from the three storms were close to £500 million.

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Storm Eunice was one of the worst storms to hit Britain in 30 years, with a rare red alert being issued for south Wales and southern England.

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Wind gusts over the UK are usually caused by slight wobbles in an active jet stream (corridor of strong winds about 30-40,000 feet above our atmosphere) over the Atlantic directed towards north-west Europe.

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Under certain circumstances, atmospheric conditions can create explosive cyclogenesis - or a weather bomb - over the west of Britain, which can bring the most damaging winds.

The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) joined the initiative in 2019, therefore also contributing names to the list.

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