27/01/2026
Yes indeed!
๐ฝ๐๐ง๐ง๐ ๐ฝ๐๐จ๐ฉ ๐ผ๐ฃ๐ฃ๐ค๐ช๐ฃ๐๐๐จ ๐๐ฉ๐ค๐ง๐ข๐จ ๐๐ค ๐ฝ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ก๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐๐๐ค๐๐ฃ๐๐จ๐๐ ๐ผ๐จ ๐ผ ๐๐๐ง๐ข๐๐ฃ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ค๐ฃ
Weather presenter Barra Best has confirmed that storms will now be officially recognised as Northern Irelandโs sixth and most dominant season, joining spring, summer, autumn, winter and marching.
Delivering the forecast on the back of Belfastโs Big Fish, Best said the decision followed years of data showing โanother stormโ arriving every six to nine days, regardless of month, morale or public exhaustion.
โAt a certain point you stop calling it โextreme conditionsโ and accept this is just who we are nowโ, Best explained.
โStorm Season will run from January through December, with occasional overlapsโ.
Best reassured viewers that while each storm would still have its own silly name and personality, residents should expect broadly the same experience every week: high winds, sideways rain and a trampoline in their back garden.
The Met Office welcomed the move, noting it would simplify forecasts.
โInstead of saying โThereโs another storm coming,โ weโll now just say โYou know the drillโ, said spokesperson Gail Strong.
Education officials warned the permanent Storm Season would further disrupt Northern Irelandโs schooling system, with closures continuing due to storms, pandemics, central heating failures, and what one principal described as โthe vibes being offโ.
Experts now estimate many children may reach a P2 reading level sometime in their early 30s, assuming no further storms, viruses, or mild breezes requiring safety assessments.
