science

2018–19 European windstorm season

2018–19 European windstorm season is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand 2018–19 European windstorm season rather than just read about it. In short: The 2018–2019 European windstorm season was the fourth instance of seasonal European windstorm naming in Europe. Most storms form between September and March.

Key takeaways

2018–19 European windstorm season belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect 2018–19 European windstorm season to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of 2018–19 European windstorm season from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The 2018–2019 European windstorm season was the fourth instance of seasonal European windstorm naming in Europe. Most storms form between September and March. The first named storm, Ali, affected primarily the United Kingdom and Ireland on 19 September 2018.

Background and naming

In 2015, the British and Irish national meteorological agencies, Met Office and Met Éireann respectively, announced a pilot project to name storm warnings as part of the Name our Storms project for wind storms and asked the public for suggestions. The meteorological offices produced a full list of names for 2015–2016 through to 2017–2018, common to both the UK and Ireland. A new list of names was released on 11 September 2018 for the 2018–2019 season. Names in the UK were based on the National Severe Weather Warning Service, when a storm is assessed to have the potential for an Amber 'be prepared' or Red 'take action (danger to life)' warning. There are two main naming lists, created by the national meteorological agencies of the UK and Ireland, and France, Spain and Portugal respectively. Additionally, former Atlantic hurricanes will retain their names as assigned by the National Hurricane Center of the United States.

United Kingdom and Ireland

France, Spain and Portugal This is the second season in which the meteorological agencies of France, Spain and Portugal will be naming storms which affect their areas. This naming scheme is partially overlapping with that used by the UK and Ireland, as storms named by the other group of agencies will be used reciprocally.

Other naming systems Two former Atlantic hurricanes transitioned into European windstorms during the season, and retained their names as assigned by the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida:

Additionally to these naming systems, the Free University of Berlin also names high and low pressure areas through its "Adopt a vortex" programme. The Nordic nations of Denmark, Norway and Sweden also name storms with more limited reciprocation. Other nations may also name storms either through their national meteorological institutions or popularly.

Season summary

The season began on 16 September 2018 with the naming of Storm Helene, a former Atlantic hurricane. However, as it weakened considerably while approaching the British Isles, all warnings for Helene were discontinued on 18 September. Later that day, the second storm of the season, Storm Ali, was named by the Met Office and Met Éireann with the issuance of amber wind warnings for the following day. The third storm of the season, Bronagh, was named on 20 September; the earliest third named storm in a season since naming began.

Storms The season was prefaced by the extratropical remnants of Hurricane Helene which affected the UK and Ireland on 17–18 September. This began an active period of storm formation under a fast moving jet stream over the Atlantic.

Ex-Hurricane Helene

While still a tropical cyclone, Hurricane Helene affected the Azores from 15 to 16 September 2018. The system subsequently completed an extratropical transition on 16 September as it accelerated north-eastwards towards the British Isles, with the outer bands of Storm Helene causing minimal impacts in north-western Spain and Portugal. Storm Helene crossed the UK and Ireland on 17–18 September, with the Met Office and Met Éireann issuing yellow wind warnings. The Met Office's yellow warning of wind covered southern England, the Midlands and Wales overnight from 17 to 18 September, with forecasts predicting winds of up to 60 to 70 mph (97 to 113 km/h; 52 to 61 kn). Helene was downgraded as it approached the British Isles, with winds gusting to only 40 to 50 mph (64 to 80 km/h; 35 to 43 kn) in isolated locations; as a result, all warnings were cancelled on 18 September as Helene was still crossing the UK. Subsequently, Helene emerged into the Norwegian Sea and stalled off the coast of Norway as a weakened system, finally being absorbed by Storm Bronagh approaching from the south-west on 21 September.

Storm Ali

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with 2018–19 European windstorm season

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what 2018–19 European windstorm season claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to 2018–19 European windstorm season before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about 2018–19 European windstorm season ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of 2018–19 European windstorm season

In research: 2018–19 European windstorm season appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses 2018–19 European windstorm season in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: 2018–19 European windstorm season is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2018 natural disasters, European windstorm seasons, Meteorological events in 2018, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for 2018–19 European windstorm season outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study 2018–19 European windstorm season in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what 2018–19 European windstorm season means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
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Frequently asked questions

What is 2018–19 European windstorm season in simple terms?

The 2018–2019 European windstorm season was the fourth instance of seasonal European windstorm naming in Europe. Most storms form between September and March.

Why does 2018–19 European windstorm season matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study 2018–19 European windstorm season?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on 2018–19 European windstorm season.