To ask about storm naming and weather warnings?

[Pickledpoppetpickle]

Live on the coast- wind is a fact of life. High winds, things flying off your house kind of winds.

Close to Xmas we had a dreadful storm - lasted nearly 48 hours, front of my house damaged to the tune of £2k. Winds running high, gusting enough to push you over. Yet there was only a yellow weather warning in place and the storm wasn't named. We have experienced far less damaging storms with names (although I appreciate such storms may have been worse elsewhere). Right now we have a yellow warning for wind speeds far less than that storm and the same as the wind was 2 days ago with no warning.

It is a standing joke amongst friends that storms are only named if they affect Londoners. Can someone explain how it works? And why the same weather today as two days ago warrants warning but 2 days ago didn’t?

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice/uk-storm-centre/index

Honestly, I think it's for the drama. I've been under red warning, closed both bridges, schools closed but it's just a normal windy day, no big deal. And yes apparently yellow warning today and it was windier on Friday

Wind speed is the highest determining factor of a named storm. Aside from that its impacts from rain and storm. It could be that your area/home is particularly exposed, rather than the strength of the storm.

I currently live inland rurally but lived on the coast for many years. I did not find that storm warnings weren’t appropriate or were underplayed there.

Drama and probably it created jobs in quango.

It's not just the UK weather agency, the list of names is shared between the British, Dutch and Irish weather agencies. Any of them can name a storm with a name of that list.

Wind speed is the highest determining factor of a named storm. Aside from that its impacts from rain and storm. It could be that your area/home is particularly exposed, rather than the strength of the storm

Yes, we are probably exposed. But it doesn't explain what happened before Xmas. Wind speeds were higher than Storm Darragh but it only warranted a yellow warning.

I get it's probably about position, where the worst of the wind is falling, direction of the wind etc. But as a lay person experiencing it, it feels the same!