Storms Oisín, Doris and Wilbert are on the way

Oisín, Doris and Wilbert are among the storm names we will hear in Irish weather warnings in the coming months.

Met Éireann and the Met Office have revealed the names chosen for storms over the next 12 months, in the second year of their "name our storms" project.

Forecasters have chosen the names from the 10,000 suggestions they received from members of the public last year.

The new storm-naming season will begin on October 1st and run until September next year.

The aim of the project is to raise awareness of severe weather and ensure greater safety for the public.

Storms are being named when they are deemed to have the potential to cause a substantial impact in Ireland and Britain.

In a change from the first year of the project, heavy snow and rain may be taken into account when forecasters decide whether a storm is strong enough to be given a human name over the next 12 months.

However, the storm will still need to be suitably windy.

The storm names due to be assigned for 2016/2017 are: Angus, Barbara, Conor, Doris, Ewan, Fleur, Gabriel, Holly, Ivor, Jacqui, Kamil, Louise, Malcolm, Natalie, Oisín, Penelope, Robert, Susan, Thomas, Valerie and Wilbert.

Naming conventions

The storms are not named using the letters Q, U, X, Y or Z, in line with the naming conventions for hurricanes in the US.

Ireland saw plenty of major storms last winter, as storms Gertrude, Henry, and Imogen wreaked havoc in quick successionat the start of 2016.

Gerald Fleming, head of forecasting at Met Éireann, said the pilot project helped to prepare people for the impact of a "very active Atlantic storm season" last autumn and winter.

“There was an immediate acceptance of the storm names through all media, and the severe weather messages were more clearly communicated,” he said.

“This was especially so during a very stormy period over Christmas and the New Year, when a number of storms passed in quick succession.

“The naming helped us to clearly distinguish between them, and delineate their likely impacts.”

Additional reporting by PA