Storm Names 2026-27 Storms in the western region of Europe, which includes the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands, are named by the Met Office, Met Éireann and KNMI (the Dutch national weather forecasting service). Storms are named when they have the potential to cause medium or high impacts and significant disruption. Naming storms helps to facilitate clear communication about the expected arrival of severe weather. The current naming system began in 2015. By Brian Gaze2nd September 2026 The 2026-27 named storm season has started UK storm season v Atlantic hurricane season The UK storm season runs from the beginning of September to the end of August in the following year. Therefore, it is effectively ongoing, unlike the Atlantic hurricane season as defined by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The latter officially begins on 1st June and ends on 30th November. Why the difference? The Atlantic hurricane season is based on historical data showing that the majority of hurricanes form during those months. Hurricanes mostly form in the tropics; however, deep areas of low pressure can develop in the North Atlantic throughout the year and move towards the UK. Named storms for 2026-27 The table lists the named storms which have been agreed by Met Éireann, the Met Office and KNMI. There are no storms beginning with Q, U, X, Y or Z, in line with international storm and hurricane naming conventions. Name Date named Notes Austen Boelo Chloe Dano Evelyn Finn Gwendolyn Heather Ivy Jade Kilian Laoise Miriam Nicola Olaf Phelim Ruban Shaun Theo Vesna Wende What about ex-hurricanes and tropical storms? If the remnants of a hurricane or tropical storm approach the UK, it is referred to by the name NOAA has assigned to it. For example, Hurricane Milton would be addressed as "ex-Hurricane Milton". However, if it meets the criteria for a named storm in the UK, Ireland or the Netherlands (the Western Europe storm naming group), its name would not change. It would be referred to as Storm Milton. How many storms are likely to be named? It isn't possible to forecast how many named storms there will be in a given season, but previous years can give some pointers. The 2025-26 season produced four storms, with the last one, Dave, named on 2nd April 2026. However, the UK was also impacted by three more storms named by other European meteorological services. These were: Storm Benjamin: 22 October 2025 (named by Météo-France) Storm Claudia: 10 November 2025 (named by AEMET, Spain’s national meteorological service) Storm Goretti: 6 January 2026 (named by Météo-France) The 2024-25 season produced six storms, with the last one, Floris, named on 1 August 2025. The 2023-24 season produced twelve storms, with the first being Agnes on 25 September 2023 and the last being Lilian on 22 August 2024. It was the most active season since the storm naming system began. In contrast, there were only two storms in the 2022-23 season: Antoni and Betty. However, storms Otto (named by the Danish Meteorological Institute) and Noa (named by Météo-France) impacted the UK and consequently retained their names. The 2021-22 season saw Met Éireann, the Met Office and KNMI name six storms. In addition, one storm name was retained from the Danish Meteorological Institute. Stay up to date The table of named storms will be updated throughout the course of the season. Do you have views on the storm naming system? If so, then let us know.