About Jet Stream
Jet streams are fast flowing, narrow, meandering air currents in the atmospheres of some planets, including Earth. On Earth, the main jet streams are located near the altitude of the tropopause and are westerly winds. Their paths typically have a meandering shape.
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How was Storm Agnes named and how did we know it was coming?
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How was Storm Agnes named and how did we know it was coming?
By Gem O'ReillyBBC News
The First named storm of The season is due to sweep across The West of The UK on Wednesday, bringing winds of up to 80mph.
Weather warnings are in force from 12:00 BST on Wednesday, as Storm Agnes is due to move across south-west England, through Wales, and into northern England and Scotland.
Will Lang, head of situational awareness at The UK weather service, says Storm Agnes was originally spotted deep in The north Atlantic using satellite imagery.
This year is The Ninth year that storms have been given names in The UK. The 2023 selection of names used by The Met Office , The Irish weather service Met Éireann and The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute is inspired by notable individuals " who keep people safe" from extreme conditions.
How do you find an approaching storm?Spotting a storm involves a combination of technological tools, computer modelling and observational, scientific minds, Mr Lang explains.
" We get observations from ships and satellites all The Way across The World , " he says.
Mr Lang's team was focusing on The Atlantic Ocean when they first spotted signs of Storm Agnes.
A strong Jet Stream (an air current in The Earth 's atmosphere) was starting to develop there, he says, something which is often an early sign of Stormy Weather .
Jet streams blow from west to east, about
They can cause, where air rises and blows anticlockwise, forming clouds and precipitation.
This often results in The Weather being unsettled and causes storms to come off The Atlantic towards us, according to Lang.
Computer models Then start to predict what might happen next. Last week, Met Office staff could see The " potential" of Storm Agnes.
Why do storms get names?Naming storms helps The Met Office communicate effectively with The General Public , says Mr Lang.
" We want people to see The warnings we issue so they can understand how they will be affected, " he explains. " We want to empower people to make informed, safe decisions. "
In The case of Storm Agnes, there is likely to be, with The worst affected areas being in The north of The UK.
Whether a storm gets a name depends on how big an impact it is predicted to have, says Mr Lang.
" If we think there is a potential for something to have a large impact across The UK. . Then we will consider naming The Storm and that's exactly what we did with this, " he says.
The Met Office starts The new storm season at The Beginning of September.
September is chosen due to a lull in storm activity over The summer, and The autumn bringing more storms when jet streams become active, says Mr Lang.
How are storm names chosen?Agnes was The First name on The List this year. The name was chosen because of, who was an Irish astronomer and science writer.
The Met Office said this year's storms had been named after " those who work to keep people safe in times of severe weather".
For example, Ciarán Fearon, who was The inspiration for The third name on The List , works in The Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland .
On average, around six to seven named storms actually happen in The UK each year, meaning many of The listed names are never used. Named storms in The Order that they took place.
The UK, Ireland and The Netherlands work together to name storms but.
Storms named by these other international weather services can also enter The UK.
A for Storm Agnes, and The Met Office says it is " not impossible" that this could shift to Amber - The Next Level of severity.
This colour-coded warning system is in place to advise The General Public but Mr Lang explains that additional detail is provided to The energy, aviation and rail industries.
" The Storm is there and progressing In Line with our expectations, " he says. " It's important that we get this right and get The Message out early for people's safety. "
For up to date forecasts go to
Related TopicsSource of news: bbc.com
Jet stream Photos
