People are only just learning how storms are named as Amy set to wreak havoc across UK

People are only just realising how storms get their names as the UK braces for extreme weather this weekend.

Brits are facing gusts of up to 95mph as the UK is set to be thrashed by ferocious winds and heavy downpours from Storm Amy,with a danger to life warning in place.

The first namedstorm of the season has seen the Met Office issue seven weather warnings throughout Britain, with school closures already in place and widespread travel disruption expected.

The north and west of Scotland will be worst hit by the storm with a Met Office amber warning for "damaging winds" in place from 5pm on Friday until 9am Saturday.

READ MORE: Storm Amy's hour-by-hour path with 95mph winds and 'danger to life' alert issued

READ MORE: Storm Amy chaos as Brits must do five checks today to prepare for horror 95mph winds

The official forecaster states: "Heavy rain may lead to transport disruption and flooding." It continues: "Band of heavy rain associated with Storm Amy will cross Scotland through Friday afternoon and evening.

"20-30mm of rain is expected widely in a 6-9 hour period, with 40-50mm over some hilly areas in the Southwest and the Southern Highlands. The rain will be accompanied by very strong winds, which will add to the very poor driving conditions."

Like the many storms before it, many people have taken to social media to question why storms and hurricanes are named, and how weather stations choose the monikers.

One user asked: "Why are storms named after people?" Another person wondered: "But why? Why do storms have to be named?" While a third joked: "Can't we name all Storms Trooper? Would be much more fun."

The practice of naming storms began in the US back in 1950 as a means to help people "engage with weather forecasts". The Met Office followed suit, believing it's "easier to follow the progress of a storm on TV, radio, or social media if it has a name", according to the BBC.

In 2015, the Met Office launched 'Name Our Storms', issuing a new list of names every September. This list runs until late August of the following year, marking the start of autumn and the arrival of low-pressure weather systems likely to bring name-worthy storms.

The purpose behind naming storms is to provide a single, authoritative label for an event, aiding clear communication about it. This is crucial during a crisis, where clear communication can make all the difference.

Storms are named by either the Met Office, Ireland's Met Eireann, or the Netherlands's KNMI, depending on which organisation declares the storm to warrant an amber or red warning. The Met Office flags a storm using the National Severe Weather Warnings service, which assesses the potential impact of weather events and the likelihood of such events occurring.

The Met Office has revealed that no storms have names beginning with Q, U, X, Y, and Z to align with the United States' forecasting procedure. This consistency is crucial as both the UK and the US have coasts on the Atlantic Sea and can be impacted by the same storms.

Following the same system as America ensures that the naming of storms on the North Atlantic remains consistent across both countries.