2015–16 UK and Ireland windstorm season

Abigail
MODIS image of Abigail on 12 November 2015
Date of impact	12–13 November
Maximum wind gust	84 mph (135 km/h) (South Uist, Outer Hebrides)
Lowest pressure	964 hPa (28.5 inHg)
Fatalities	0
Power outages	20,000

Barney
MODIS image of Barney on 17 November 2015
Date of impact	17–18 November
Maximum wind gust	85 mph (137 km/h) (Aberdaron, Gwynedd)
Lowest pressure	980 hPa (29 inHg)
Fatalities	0
Power outages	26,000
Damage	Unconfirmed

Clodagh
MODIS image of Clodagh on 30 November
Date of impact	29 November
Maximum wind gust	97 mph (156 km/h) (High Bradfield, South Yorkshire)
Lowest pressure	968 hPa (28.6 inHg)
Fatalities	0
Power outages	16,000
Damage	Unconfirmed

Desmond
MODIS image of Desmond on 5 December
Date of impact	4–6 December
Maximum wind gust	81 mph (130 km/h) (Capel Curig, Conwy)
Lowest pressure	939 hPa (27.7 inHg)
Fatalities	3
Power outages	46,300
Damage	£400-£500 (€550-€700) million

Eva
MODIS image of Eva on 23 December 2015
Date of impact	23–24 December
Maximum wind gust	84 mph (135 km/h) (Belmullet, Co. Mayo)
Lowest pressure	964 hPa (28.5 inHg)
Fatalities	0
Power outages	3,000
Damage	£500-£800 million (€700 million-€1.1 billion)

Gertrude
Visible image of Gertrude to the north of Scotland
Date of impact	29 January
Maximum wind gust	105 mph (169 km/h) (Lerwick, Shetland Islands)
Lowest pressure	948 hPa (28.0 inHg)
Fatalities	0
Power outages	10,000
Damage	Unconfirmed

Henry
Satellite photo of Henry to the north-west on 1 February
Date of impact	1–2 February
Maximum wind gust	90 mph (140 km/h) South Uist, Outer Hebrides
Lowest pressure	944 hPa (27.9 inHg)
Fatalities	0
Power outages	3,000
Damage	Unconfirmed

The 2015–16 season was the first instance of the United Kingdom's Met Office and Ireland's Met Éireann naming extratropical cyclones. The season started on 10 November with the naming of Storm Abigail and ended on 28 March with the dissipation of Storm Katie. Storms are named when they are forecast to cause hazards due to high winds by either organisation. The season is most notable for the amount of rainfall which fell over the UK and Ireland, causing the 2015–16 Great Britain and Ireland floods; most of which is attributed to Storms Desmond, Eva and Frank. The strongest low-level gusts of the season came from storms Gertrude and Katie. On 29 January, Gertrude produced gusts of 105 mph (169 km/h) at Lerwick, Shetland Islands while Katie produced a gust of 106 mph (171 km/h) on 28 March at The Needles Old Battery, Isle of Wight.

Earlier in 2015, the Met Office and Met Éireann announced a pilot project to name wind storms and asked the public for suggestions. The full list of names for 2015, common to both the UK and Ireland, chosen for future selection are:

A storm will be named when it is deemed able to have a "substantial" impact on the UK or Ireland. They will be taken from the list, in alphabetical order, alternating between male and female names – the same naming convention used by the United States for tropical cyclones. In the case of storms resulting from ex-tropical storms and hurricanes, the original name allocated by the US National Hurricane Center will be used. Met Éireann name any storm which triggers a status orange or red weather warning for wind. The basis for such as outlined on their weather warning service are mean wind speeds in excess of 40 mph (65 km/h) or gusts over 68 mph (110 km/h). Similarly, the Met Office name storms that have the potential to cause medium (orange) or high (red) impacts to the UK. It describes the wind strength relative to observations such as "falling trees or tiles and other items like garden furniture being blown around."