How did Storm Franklin get its name and what will the next storm be called?

Franklin was the seventh named storm of the season.

The latest storm, officially named by the Met Office on February 20, followed Storm Eunice and Storm Dudley in quick succession.

The season began with Storm Arwen, which was named on November 25.

The new storms list – first launched in 2015 – for each year generally runs from early September until late August the following year, coinciding with the beginning of autumn.

Members of the public can suggest names by emailing nameourstorms@metoffice.gov.uk.

Storms are named when they have the potential to cause an amber or red warning.

A list of possible names are compiled by Irish forecaster Met Eireann, the UK’s Met Office and the Dutch national weather forecasting service KNMI.

Naming storms is seen as a way of improving the communication of upcoming severe weather through the media and government agencies, the Met Office said.

The forecaster added: “In this way the public will be better placed to keep themselves, their property and businesses safe.”

The next names on the storms list are: Gladys, Herman, Imani, Jack, Kim, Logan, Meabh, Nasim, Olwen, Pol, Ruby, Sean, Tineke, Vergil and Willemien.

More than 10,000 suggestions were submitted to the Met Office for the list of names for the strongest weather systems to hit the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands over the 2021/22 year.

After Arwen was Storm Barra in December and Corrie in late January.

Storm names do not begin with the letters Q, U, X, Y or Z.