Press Releases

On October 2021, the tripartite national cooperation of Greece – Cyprus – Israel, at the level of their Meteorological Services/Departments and in the context of the resolutions of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and also of the European body that coordinates the network of National Meteorological Services (EUMETNET), has launched the process of naming weather systems that are expected to cause severe weather phenomena and will affect the Eastern Mediterranean, during both the cold and warm periods of the year.

The naming of a severe weather phenomenon will be co-decided by representatives of the Meteorological Services/Departments during weekly (or more frequent, when deemed necessary) meetings. During these meetings, all available information from numerical weather models and observational data will be used, in order to inform each other about regional weather issues and the evolution of the movement of systems that are going to affect the Eastern Mediterranean region.

The aim of this action is to sensitize the general public through mass media and social network media and thus to alert citizens, in order to protect their lives and property and also to help the national emergency services inform about the passage of severe weather phenomena that may be accompanied by multiple effects, thus ensuring the protection of human lives and properties. 

For the period October 2023 – September 202,4 the list of names chosen to be used in alphabetical order was drawn up jointly between the three national meteorological services, reflecting the linguistic idiom of the three countries. The names, in order of use, for the period 2023 – 2024, are shown in the following common list and chart:

Avgi, Ben, Cornelius, Doros, Eden, Fedra, Gea, Hilel, Iris, Keren, Leonidas, Maria, Nir, Olympias, Petros, Qamar, Raphael, Sofia, Tal, Urania, Vyron, Widad, Xenophon, Yakinthi, Ziv

Chart: Common list of names, in order of use, for the severe weather events expected during the period October 2023 – September 2024, for the Eastern Mediterranean region. The naming was done jointly by the National Meteorological Services/Departments of Greece, Cyprus and Israel.

(AP/SCH)