Since Sunday evening, Météo-France has issued a strong wind orange alert for several departments in northwest France. This alert is due to the passage of Storm Gerard, the first name on the list for this new year.
While the storm season started on the first dayany Last September, with the arrival of meteorological autumn, France on Sunday evening opened its first storm of 2023 with the passage of the Girard depression. The latter has blown really hard, especially in the northwest, putting many departments on orange alert for strong winds.
But Girard is just the first name on this year’s list put together by Météo-France in partnership with the Spanish Government Agency for Meteorology (AEMET) and the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA).
In this predefined list we can find the names of the storms that will succeed Gerard, namely Hannelore, Isaack, Juliette, Kamiel or even Larisa. These designations are chosen for depressions that can cause wind wakefulness, at least orange level.
Since 2017, Météo-France has been naming storms that could affect France, Spain or Portugal, in partnership with the meteorological services AEMET (Spain) and IPMA (Portugal). This year, Belgium and Luxembourg are joining this organization,” Meteo France noted.
Indeed, these nations collectively agree on a list of names, male or female, for the coming storms. These can sound French, Spanish or Portuguese.
However, it is possible for two storms to occur at the same time and in two different countries. For example, as France battles Storm Girard, Spain prepares to welcome Finn, named by the Spanish meteorological services, on Monday evening. These are two different names that are kept, depending on the geographic origins of the storms in question.
The principle of interstate nomination also applies elsewhere. “If a storm first hits the territory of Ireland, Great Britain or the Netherlands, then the name chosen by the meteorological services will be taken – and the opposite also applies. Our British and Irish counterparts have also published a list of storms affecting Ireland, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands,” explained Météo-France.
This list includes the names Anthony, Betty, Cillian, Daisy, and Elliott.
