Storm Bert is set to sweep in and wreak havoc across the UK this weekend with heavy rain, strong winds and snow.

It will be the second named storm of the 2024/25 winter season after Storm Ashleywhich brought wet and windy weather to Britain in mid-October.

And it comes after a week falling temperatures, snow and ice has already forced schools to close and created travel disruption across Scotland, parts of Wales, northern England, the Midlands and the south west.

Bert brings a host of severe weather warnings for the weekend, with winds of up to 70mph and snowfall of up to 40cm on higher ground.

There are seven across the UK and Northern Ireland on Saturday alone, six are yellow for wind, rain, snow and ice and one yellow warning for snow and ice.

On Sunday, three of the yellow weather warnings for rain and rain and snow continue.

Dan Holley, deputy meteorologist for the Met, said heavy snow was expected across parts of northern England and Scotland for some time on Saturday and heavy rain through Saturday and Sunday.

He added: “We expect 50-75mm of rainfall fairly widely within the warning areas, but over 100mm is possible over high ground in parts of Wales and south-west England.

“Furthermore, rapid melting of lying snow over the weekend and periods of strong winds are likely to exacerbate impacts and bring the risk of travel disruption, as well as flooding for some.”

Why are storms named?

Storms are named by national weather forecasters in order to simplify information for the public when treacherous weather is on its way.

Only those expected to cause significant damage or trigger a severe weather warning are mentioned.

The Met Office says: “The naming of storms using a single authoritative system should facilitate communication of approaching severe weather through media partners and other government agencies.

“This way, the public will be better able to protect themselves, their property and their businesses.”

Name storms first started in the UK in 2015 and a new list of names is released every September.

The list runs from the beginning of September to the end of August of the following year, to coincide with the start of autumn and late summer, when the likelihood of low pressure systems and the potential for named storms increases.

Who decides the names of the storms?

The Met Office names storms in collaboration with Met Éireann in Ireland and KNMI i Netherlands.

This year marks the ninth time they have been officially named in the UK.

Read Next

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

Met Éireann’s entries are inspired by famous scientists, including Jocelyn after Dame Jocelyn Bell, the astrophysicist.

Names from the KNMI are often of Dutch origin and many were submitted by public visitors to the forecaster throughout the year.

Anyone is welcome to suggest names via email to [email protected] or via the Met Office online form.

What are the storm names for 2024-2025?

The tradition of naming storms began in 1953 in the United States when the National Hurricane Center (now the World Meteorological Organization) began assigning female names to storms and hurricanes, with male names introduced from 1978 onwards.

Below are the storm names for 2024/25.

• Ashley
• Bert
• Conall
• Éowyn
• Floris
• Gerber
• Hugo
• Izzy
• James
• Kayleigh
• Lewis
• Mavis
• Naoise
• Otje
• Poppy
• Rafi
• Sayuri
• Tilly
• Vivienne
• Wren

Q, U, X, Y, Z are not included to be in line with the US National Hurricane Center naming convention.

What is classified as a storm?

For a storm to be named, it must have the potential to cause an amber or red weather warning on the Met Office’s national severe weather warning service in the UK, or the Irish or Dutch equivalents. Weather warnings can be issued for the following weather types:

• Rain
• Thunder
• Wind
• Snow
• Flash
• Ice
• Extreme heat
• Fog

They are usually issued for specific areas of a country, but can also be issued for the entire country. Sometimes double warnings are made, for example for both rain and wind.

There are three levels of weather warning; yellow, amber and red. The color depends on the expected impact the weather may have, plus the likelihood of damage occurring.

“These effects can include damage to property, travel delays and cancellations, loss of water supplies, power cuts and, in the most serious cases, endangering lives,” the Met Office said.

This is how each level is defined:

Yellow

Yellow warnings can be issued for a number of different situations. This may be when there is a likely risk of some low-level weather impacts, such as travel disruption. But they can also be declared if there is much less risk of more serious injuries. It is important to read the contents of yellow alerts to determine which situation is covered.

Amber

There is an increased likelihood of severe weather impacts, which could potentially disrupt your plans – such as travel delays, road and rail closures and power outages. It also involves potential risk to life and property. You should consider changing your plans and take steps to protect yourself, your family, your property and your community.

RED

Hazardous weather is expected and if you haven’t already, you should take steps now to protect yourself and others. It is very likely that there will be a risk to life, with significant disruption to travel, energy supplies and possibly extensive damage to property and infrastructure. Avoid traveling if possible and follow the advice of emergency services and local authorities.