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List of natural disasters in the British Isles - Wikipedia

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The UK has been battered by strong winds and lashed by heavy rain in a series of ferocious storms that have barrelled across the Atlantic.

The storms, which began in October last year, have forced many from their homes and are set to make the 2013-14 winter the wettest on record. More than 5,000 homes and businesses have been flooded and many rivers in southern England have reached their highest ever recorded levels.
Scroll down to see a visual timeline of the winter storms.
1. St Jude's Storm: 27-28 October 2013

In late October, a powerful storm named St Jude caused chaos across parts of Europe. Four people died after the storm hit Britain, leading to 625,000 homes losing power, and rail and flight cancellations.

At the height of the storm, a top wind speed of 99mph was recorded on the Isle of Wight.

2. Tidal surge: 5-6 December 2013

A series of major storms went on to batter the country, starting on the 5 and 6 December, causing disruption for many as the strong winds and rain brought down power lines, flooded homes and triggered landslips.

Thousands of people were evacuated and England's east coast experienced the worst tidal surge in 60 years.

3. Further storms: 23-31 December 2013

South West England was shaken by further storms. High winds and heavy rain caused power outages, road closures and widespread travel disruption.

The Environment Agency warned of flooding on the Somerset Levels and alarm bells rang for the Local Government Association which urged people to look online for details of emergency accommodation in case they were forced out of their homes by rising water levels.

4. A stormy December: Month in review

In fact, December 2013 turned out to be the stormiest since 1969.

Met Office figures showed the month was one of the windiest since January 1993. The figures were based on analysis of wind speeds above 50 knots (58mph) at a number of weather stations in the UK.

December was also a very wet month. The UK received 184.7mm of rain, making it the sixth wettest December on record for the country as a whole. But Scotland was drenched in its wettest December on record, with an average rainfall of 296.1mm, beating the previous high set in 1986 of 268.5mm.

5. More coastal flooding: Early January 2014

Stormy weather continued to wreak havoc into January. A combination of high winds, rain and strong waves battered the coastline and also caused flooding further inland.

Homeowners on the inundated Somerset Levels began to be evacuated. As the month progressed, anger grew and residents accused the Environment Agency of neglecting the rivers.

Along the coastline, the landmark rock arch in Porthcothan Bay in Cornwall was reduced to rubble and in Portland, Dorset, a rock stack off the coast, known locally as Pom Pom rock, was washed away.

6. Major incident declared: 24-27 January 2014

As rain continued to fall and floods worsened, a "major incident" was declared in late January by two councils - Somerset County and Sedgemoor District - in a bid to mobilise extra support. This included a request to the armed forces to consider helping those who had been cut off.

Environment Secretary Owen Paterson visited the area and was confronted by angry residents lambasting a failure to dredge the rivers.

Prime Minister David Cameron later announced rivers in Somerset would be dredged once all floodwater had drained off the Levels and the river banks were safe.
Somerset Levels floods
7. A record January: Month in review

Like December, January ended up breaking records for rainfall.

Parts of England had their wettest January since records began more than 100 years ago. The Met Office said much of southern England and parts of the Midlands had seen twice the average rainfall for January.

8. More storms: 5-6 February 2014

Another major storm in early February forced more people from their homes, left thousands without power and destroyed a stretch of railway,

A section of the sea wall in Dawlish, Devon, collapsed and left the railway to Cornwall suspended in mid-air.

David Cameron chaired his first Cobra meeting this year and announced an extra £100m for flood works.

Further flooding across the Somerset Levels left farmland and businesses under water and forced more residents to evacuate their homes.

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Moorland landowner Sam Notaro is doing his best to fight the floodwaters by building a barrier around his recently-built home.

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Royal Marines have been drafted in to help build sandbag walls around other properties in Moorland - where dozens homes have been evacuated.

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For weeks, the village of Muchelney has only been accessible by boat, as roads are submerged beneath the floodwater.

9. Thames on alert: 7-9 February 2014

Gales continued to batter southern parts of the UK, with coastal areas hit by wind and rain. Gusts reached 80mph on the coasts of Cornwall, the Bristol Channel and west Wales.

Landslips and floods meant all rail routes into south-west England were blocked.

In Surrey, the River Thames burst its banks at Chertsey, with homeowners warned to expect flooding.

10. Crisis deepens: 10-14 February 2014

An the month continued, more bad weather arrived. Thousands of properties in Wales were left without power following winds of up to 112mph.

Severe flood warnings were in place in parts of Cornwall, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Berkshire and Surrey.

Flooding along the Thames continued to force people from their homes, as the river reached its highest level in 60 years.
Compiled by Lucy Rodgers and Mark Bryson

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The UK has been battered by strong winds and lashed by heavy rain in a series of ferocious storms that have barrelled across the Atlantic. The storms, which began in October last year, have forced many from their homes and are set to make the 2013-14 winter the wettest on record.

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Storm Names for 2023 - 2024

Throughout the year these pages will provide the latest updates and information as we name storms which we forecast will have an impact upon the UK.

Name

Date named

Date of impact on UK and/or Ireland and/or Netherlands

Frequently Asked Questions

When do we announce new storm names?

Since Name our Storms first launched in 2015 we have issued a new list of names each September. The list runs from early September to late August the following year, to coincide with the start of autumn and the end of summer, when we see the likelihood of low-pressure systems and the potential for named storms increase.

Why are we naming storms?

The naming of storms using a single authoritative system provides a consistent message and aids the communication of approaching severe weather through media partners and other government agencies. In this way the public will be better placed to keep themselves, their property and businesses safe.

Can I suggest a storm name?

A new list of names will be compiled jointly between Met Éireann, the Met Office and KNMI (The Dutch national weather forecasting service).

Everyone is welcome to suggest names for future consideration via email to [email protected] or through our online form. Any future names for the Met Office component of the list may be compiled from these suggestions.

When is a storm named?

In the UK a storm will be named when it has the potential to cause disruption or damage which could result in an amber or red warning. This is based on our National Severe Weather Warnings service, which is a combination of both the impact the weather may have, and the likelihood of those impacts occurring.

Storms will usually be named on the basis of the impacts from strong winds, but the impacts of other weather types will also be considered. For example rain, if its impact could lead to flooding as advised by the Environment Agency, SEPA and Natural Resources Wales flood warnings, or snow. Therefore 'storm systems' could be named on the basis of impacts from the wind but also include the impacts of rain and snow.

How is a storm named?

When the criteria for naming a storm are met, either the Met Office, Met Éireann or KNMI can name a storm, taking the name from the latest list in alphabetical order.

We then let the public, our partners in government, the responder community and the media know through various routes including publishing details on our website and social media channels.

You can also follow the Met Office on Facebook or Twitter for the latest updates.

UK and US Storm names?

To avoid any confusion over naming, if a storm is the remnants of a tropical storm or hurricane that has moved across the Atlantic, the name would not be changed and would follow the established method of being referred to as 'ex-hurricane Ophelia' for example.

We will only use names that have been officially designated by the National Weather Service in the US.

Do other countries around the world use a similar system?

In Europe, the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands work together as the western storm naming group. Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium and Luxembourg together make up the south-western storm naming group and Norway, Sweden and Denmark are the northern group.

Within the North Atlantic Ocean, tropical or subtropical cyclones are named by the National Hurricane Centre when they are judged to have intensified into a tropical storm with winds of at least 65 km/h, (40 mph). The World Meteorological Organisation maintains six alphabetical lists of names which alternate between masculine and feminine and are used on a six-year cycle. Significant tropical cyclones have their names retired from the lists, with a replacement name selected at the next World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) meeting.

Why are there no storms for Q, U, X, Y and Z?

To ensure we are in line with the US National Hurricane Centre naming conventions, we are not going to include names which begin with the letters Q, U, X, Y and Z. This will maintain consistency for official storm naming in the North Atlantic.

How are storm names chosen?

We receive thousands of suggestions throughout the year from the public and this years list has been compiled from these public suggestions, plus suggestions from Met Éireann and KNMI, choosing some of the more popular names and names that reflect the diversity of the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands.

What does climate change mean for storms?

In the recent climate, there is no evidence of positive or negative trends in windstorm number or intensity. Trends in windstorm numbers are difficult to detect, due to how these naturally vary year-to-year and decade-to-decade.

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Find out the latest information about storms in the UK as we name them as part of our Name our Storms project.

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EA manager Claire Beecroft warned walkers to be wary on coastal paths and promenades with the "unsettled" weather continuing on Saturday.

The Chief Fire Officers Association said it had mobilised 15 fire and rescue services to assist in Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Humberside.

About 100 soldiers from the Catterick Army base were also deployed to Skegness, the Ministry of Defence said.

It comes as Scotland and the North of England were covered in a blanket of snow.

The Met Office had issued severe weather warnings across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for combinations of high winds, snow and ice.

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UK severe weather: Relief for east coast as tidal wave fails to wreak chaos

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EA manager Claire Beecroft warned walkers to be wary on coastal paths and promenades with the "unsettled" weather continuing on Saturday. The Chief Fire Officers Association said it had mobilised 15 fire and rescue services to assist in Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Humberside.

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People along England's east coast have been bracing themselves for a storm surge and the possibility of severe flooding.

The Environment Agency has issued 17 warnings of danger to life - with homes in Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex most under threat from high tides.

Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes.

Residents in Essex remain on high alert as they continue to wait for the high tide to reach the area.

Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft escaped flooding as the high water passed without any major problems.

The wind changed the predicted combination of high tides and the surge, according to the Environment Agency.

Many residents had refused to leave their homes, despite the police knocking on an estimated 15,000 properties throughout the day.

Elsewhere, there are more than 80 flood warnings - meaning immediate action is required - and more than 70 flood alerts in place.

The Environment Agency has installed more than five miles (8km) of temporary barriers and sent 25 pumps to depots and towns along the east coast.

The government's flood information service has predicted that gale force winds will cause large waves, resulting in "potential damage to flood defences and flooding of property".

The tidal surge passed without incident in Skegness, Lincolnshire, and waters levels are dropping in other areas including Boston, Lincolnshire, and Withernsea, Yorkshire.

Evacuate 'immediately'

But there are still fears of widespread flooding further south, with Essex Police urging residents in Jaywick, Mistley and West Mersea, near Clacton-on-Sea, to leave their homes "immediately".

By early evening, an educational centre in Tendring, Essex - which had been set up to cater for those evacuated from Jaywick - had registered about 140 of its residents.

Officials say about 2,500 homes and properties in the county could be affected by flooding, with the evening high tide expected there at around midnight.

Leaflets were delivered to homes warning people that their properties "could be flooded by sea water up to a depth of three metres".

Nigel Brown, from Tendring Council, said there was room for 1,000 people and said they were ready for the next high tide at about 23:00 GMT.

Residents in approximately 5,000 properties near Great Yarmouth, in Norfolk were also told to leave their homes.

BBC News correspondent Alex Dunlop said police in Great Yarmouth knocked on 5,000 doors, home to about 15,000 people, to try to persuade them to evacuate.

About 60-70% refused and insisted on staying, our correspondent said, though some may be making their own arrangements to leave.

About 80 people have also been evacuated from the Norfolk village of Walcott.

About 1,880 properties are also thought to be at high risk of flooding in Suffolk.

About 30 properties in the East Riding of Yorkshire have been evacuate amid fears they could be flooded.

Weather disruption across the UK:

Up to 7in (18cm) of snow has fallen in Scotland, with warnings of high wind on the Skye, Dornoch and Kessock road bridges in the Highlands

Eurostar cancelled two trains between London and Paris due to "weather conditions" in south-east England and northern France

How cold is it where you are?

Icy storm lashes France and Germany

Floods minister Therese Coffey said people needed to take the tidal surge seriously.

"I want to encourage people to respond to the calls for people, where they are at risk, to stay with friends or family or at rest centres."

Earlier, snow, ice and winds caused travel problems across the UK, with the Met Office warnings of high winds, snow and ice on Friday. There are yellow warnings of ice in place across the UK for the rest of Friday and Saturday.

What is a storm surge?

A storm surge is a change in sea level that is caused by a storm.

The main cause of a storm surge is high winds pushing the sea water towards the coast, causing it to pile up there.

The strong winds in the storm generate large waves on top of the surge which can cause damage to sea defences, or spill over the top adding to the flood risk.
Source: Met Office Do you live in regions affected by the adverse weather? Let us know about your experiences. Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your stories.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:

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Send pictures/video to yourpics@bbc.co.uk

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People along England's east coast have been bracing themselves for a storm surge and the possibility of severe flooding. The Environment Agency has issued 17 warnings of danger to life - with homes in Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex most under threat from high tides. Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes.

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Case studies of past severe weather events

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Extreme Weather - Metlink Teaching Weather and Climate

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A series of downloadable lesson plans and teacher's notes prepared on extreme weather for A level geography. Produced by Rob Pugh Work scheme on extreme weather Extreme Weather 1 Extreme Weather 2 Teachers' Guidance Notes Extreme Weather Glossary Note! The link to some resources on the Met Office website no longer works.

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One of California's strongest storms in years - dubbed a "bombogenesis" or "weather bomb" - has hit the state, killing at least four people and bringing torrential rain and floods.

Power cuts hit 150,000 households and sinkholes swallowed cars.

Hundreds of homes were evacuated amid fear of mud slides near Los Angeles.

More gusts, heavy rain and flash floods are expected on Saturday but the storm is due to subside by Sunday.

More than 300 flights have been disrupted at Los Angeles International Airport, and major roads have closed.

One man was killed after a tree fell and pulled a power line on to his car in the Sherman Oaks area of Los Angeles.

A second person died in a vehicle when it was submerged by a flash flood in the town of Victorville.

Another motorist at the same junction was saved after climbing on to the roof of his car.

Two others died in car accidents in the San Diego area.

Ryan Maue, a meteorologist for WeatherBell Analytics, told the Los Angeles Times that 10 trillion gallons of rain would fall on California in the next week, enough to power Niagara Falls for 154 days.

Two cars fell down a sinkhole in LA neighbourhood Studio City, with the drama of the second one, teetering on the edge and then tumbling down, shown on live television.

Firefighters saved one person from the first car, and the driver got out of the second before it fell. No-one was injured.

Erik Scott from the Los Angeles Fire Department said that the sinkhole rescue was "a very unique and dangerous situation".

He said the frightened driver in the fallen car was forced to stand on top of her vehicle, underground and amid rushing water, until a ladder could be passed down to her, 10ft (3 metres) below the street.

The Los Angeles Times also spoke of "surreal scenes" with cars trapped by rising waters along freeways 11 and 15. The state's fire department said firefighters had to rescue 15 people from cars trapped in fast-moving water on a road in Sun Valley, and use ropes and inflatable boats to rescue seven people and two dogs from a flood-control area on the Los Angeles River.

Evacuation orders were issued in the city of Duarte, in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains east of Los Angeles, and in parts of Camarillo Springs in Ventura County.

It is feared that areas that have been previously hit by forest fires could be more susceptible to mud slides as there is less vegetation to break the flow of running water.

Terry Anzur of KFI News told the BBC the dry, scorched ground that had been "saturated" with the heavy downpour was turning streets in to "rivers of mud".

After five years of drought, a series of storms have filled state reservoirs.

In Duarte, about 20 miles (32 km) east of Los Angeles, city authorities said they had been door to door to issue mandatory evacuations.

Those who chose to stay were required to sign notifications.

One local, Alberto Moreno, told Reuters news agency that he was staying put. "The neighbours are here so we're all basically going to help out each other if it comes down to it," he said, while barricading his home with sandbags.

Meteorologists describe the "bombogenesis" as an intense extra-tropical cyclonic low-pressure area, or "a weather bomb".

"The storm looks to be the strongest storm to hit southwest California this season," the National Weather Service said.

"It is likely the strongest within the last six years and possibly even as far back as December 2004 or January 1995."

Gusts of 87mph (140km/h) were reported on the Big Sur scenic coastal highway.

Earlier in the week, heavy rain and melting snow caused fears of flooding at the tallest dam in the country, Oroville Dam, in northern California. More than 180,000 residents evacuated their homes.
Are you in the affected regions? Let us know about your experiences. Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your stories.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:

WhatsApp: +44 7555 173285

Send pictures/video to yourpics@bbc.co.uk

Upload your pictures / video here

Tweet: @BBC_HaveYourSay

Send an SMS or MMS to 61124 or +44 7624 800 100

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One of California's strongest storms in years - dubbed a "bombogenesis" or "weather bomb" - has hit the state, killing at least four people and bringing torrential rain and floods. Power cuts hit 150,000 households and sinkholes swallowed cars. Hundreds of homes were evacuated amid fear of mud slides near Los Angeles.