Storm Olaf
Olaf is the 15th name on the 2026/27 UK storm list, with 14 names still to be used before it.
The Met Office, Met Éireann and KNMI name a storm when it's expected to bring amber or red warnings. This page switches to live warnings, power cuts and flood alerts the day Olaf is named.
Follow PreparedBritain on Facebook. We post the moment a storm is named, with what it means at home.
Follow on FacebookWeather warnings now
No Met Office weather warnings are in force as of 23 Sep 2026, 13:49.
Power cuts now
191 active cuts and about 7,183 homes off at our last update, on the 4 of 6 networks that publish live data (National Grid, Northern Powergrid, UK Power Networks, SSEN). The worst-hit council areas:
- East Devon504 homes · 1 cut
- South Norfolk446 homes · 7 cuts
- Breckland446 homes · 2 cuts
- Chichester195 homes · 1 cut
- North Somerset157 homes · 2 cuts
- East Staffordshire116 homes · 1 cut
- Shropshire113 homes · 1 cut
- Folkestone and Hythe103 homes · 1 cut
- South Holland97 homes · 1 cut
- Cornwall88 homes · 3 cuts
Check your postcode on the live power cut tracker →
Power off? Call 105 free from any phone in England, Scotland and Wales.
Flood warnings now
England (Environment Agency): 0 severe flood warnings, 0 flood warnings and 0 flood alerts as of 23 Sep 2026, 13:49.
Before a named storm
- Read the warning for your area, not just the headline: the Met Office says what to expect and when.
- Charge phones and power banks, and find the torch now rather than in the dark.
- Bring in or tie down anything the wind can throw: bins, trampolines, garden furniture.
- If someone at home depends on powered medical equipment, have a plan for a cut and join the Priority Services Register.
- Never use a barbecue, camping stove or generator indoors: carbon monoxide kills. Torches, not candles, if you can.
Get told when Storm Olaf is named
One calm email when the Met Office names a storm: what it means, who's in the path, and the checklist worth doing that evening.
How storms get their names
The UK's storm names come from a three-country partnership: the Met Office, Met Éireann in Ireland and KNMI, the Dutch national weather service, publish one shared list each September — and every name on it was suggested by a member of the public. The season runs from early September to late August, timed to meteorological autumn, when Atlantic storm activity picks up.
A storm is only named when it is expected to cause medium or high impacts in the UK, Ireland or the Netherlands — in practice, when an amber or red warning is on the cards. Wind is the usual trigger, but a storm can also be named for rain where serious flooding is forecast, or for significant snow. That is why plenty of blustery autumn days pass unnamed: a yellow-warning blow does not make the list.
The 2026/27 list
Questions
When will Storm Olaf be named?
Nobody knows yet. Storms are named in list order when one is expected to bring medium or high impacts, usually amber or red warnings, to the UK, Ireland or the Netherlands. 14 names come before Olaf on the 2026/27 list.
How do I find out when a storm is named?
Turn on alerts on this page, or leave your email: we send one calm message when the Met Office names a storm. The Met Office's own warnings are the source for where it will hit.
Sources: Met Office UK Storm Centre and National Severe Weather Warning Service; Environment Agency flood-monitoring API; network operators' live power cut feeds (SSEN data under CC BY 4.0). Independent and not affiliated with the Met Office or HM Government.