The storms we get/are getting are depressions (cyclonic). They start across the other side of the Atlantic as waves on the Polar Front (where cold air from the north meets warmer air from the south).
The coriolis force causes it all to spin anticlockwise, with the warmer air rising up the warm front and being forced to rise up the cold front. This rising air causes low pressure (which becomes the centre of the storm), and cloud and precipitation along the fronts. Air rushes into the centre of low pressure, giving strong winds. As this happens, the fronts meet at ground level to become occluded and the storm dies out.
Perfect storm = well defined fronts, rapid convection (driven by the PF Jet stream), giving very low air pressure in the centre 950mbish, strong winds and sudden, torrential precipitation.
storms ahead (occluded)