The weather chart does not usually echo social trends, but Monday might be an exception. We could be about to be blown about by the world’s first transgender storm. This week, the Met Office began the practice of naming storms to strike the UK, in the manner that tropical hurricanes have been named by the World Meteorological Organisation since the 1950s. If a storm looks as if it is developing winds powerful enough to uproot trees and cause structural damage to buildings it will be given a name from a list. The list of chosen names goes through the alphabet in progression, alternating between male and female names.
The first named storm, Abigail, was due to brush the north-western fringes of Scotland on Friday morning, before moving into the North Sea and away to Norway to die. The next named storm may well be a depression which is currently sitting out in the Mid-Atlantic but is heading our way and is due to reach Britain on Monday or Tuesday.
Get Britain's best politics newsletters
Register to get The Spectator's insight and opinion straight to your inbox. You can then read two free articles each week.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Comments
Join the debate for just £1 a month
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for £3.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just £1 a monthAlready a subscriber? Log in