Forecaster who delayed D-Day to be honoured by Met Office

The meteorologist who warned that the invasion of Normandy should be delayed by a day because of bad weather has been recognised by the Met Office’s list of storm names.
Group Captain James Stagg used his understanding of the jet stream to convince General Dwight D Eisenhower to postpone D-Day to from June 5 to June 6, 1944.
Had the invasion taken place as planned, the strong winds and cloudy conditions in Normandy would have meant the operation would have been a disaster.
The Met Office’s list of storm names also includes Lewis, after Lewis Fry Richardson, who devised a theory to use maths and physics to make weather forecasts using computers, and Mavis, after Mavis Hinds, who worked on the earliest Met Office computers. The choices celebrate the organisation’s 170-year history.
Along with Met Eireann in Ireland and KNMI, the Dutch weather service, meteorologists name storms to make it easier to communicate news of severe weather.
Last week Storm Lilian, which brought winds exceeding 70mph to northern parts of England and Wales, became the 12th named storm of the 2023-24 season.
Will Lang, of the Met Office, said: “This year, as we celebrate our 170th birthday, it’s great to be able to honour those who have had an impact on our long history of pioneering weather and climate science services.”
The names Ashley, James, Lewis, Mavis, Sayuri, Tilly and Wren were submitted by the British public and chosen by the Met Office. Connall, Darragh, Hugo, Izzy, Naoise, Poppy and Vivienne were put forward by Met Eireann following suggestions from children. Bert, Eowyn, Floris, Gerben, Kayleigh, Otje and Rafi, were selected by KNMI from suggestions at an environmental fair.