Storm Darragh has been named by the Met Office and is set to impact the UK over the weekend of Friday, December 6 to Sunday, November 8.

A number of yellow weather warnings were already in place over this period of time but now the fourth named storm of the season has officially been confirmed.

Wind gusts of up to 80mph have been forecast late on Friday and into Saturday (December 7).

This follows the recent storms of Bert and Conall which have taken place over recent weeks.

In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), the Met Office posted: "#StormDarragh has been named and is forecast to bring very strong winds and heavy rain to the UK later on Friday and through the weekend."

Alongside this, an amber warning for "potentially damaging" winds will come into force for the west coast of the UK from South Ayrshire in Scotland down to Cornwall, and in Northern Ireland.

It is expected to be in place on Saturday from 3am until 9pm.

How are UK storm names decided?

Storms as a whole are named so people can more easily engage with weather forecasts, with the practice being established in the 1950s.

In 2015, following the success of the US model, the UK Met Office and Irish service Met Éireann launched their first "Name our Storms" campaign, BBC News reports.

Most years, they draw the names from a shortlist of favourites submitted by the public.

Additionally, they have been joined by the National Weather Service of the Netherlands who contribute a few names each year.

An almost full alphabet of names is put forward each year, except for ones beginning with Q, U, X, Y and Z.

The storm names for the 2024/25 season are:

  • Ashley
  • Bert
  • Conall
  • Darragh
  • Eowyn
  • Floris
  • Gerben
  • Hugo
  • Izzy
  • James

Recommended reading:

  • Kayleigh
  • Lewis
  • Mavis
  • Naoise
  • Otje
  • Poppy
  • Rafi
  • Sayuri
  • Tilly
  • Vivienne 
  • Wren

Only around six to seven storms impact the UK during a season, so there are many names that won't be used for it.