UK storm names
The official storm list for the 2026/27 season, which names have been used, and whether a named storm is affecting the UK right now.
Last checked 5 November 2026, 18:22 · Met Office UK Storm Centre + live warnings feed
No named storm is currently affecting the UK. The quiet spell is the right time to do the ten-minute prep in the guides below.
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Follow on FacebookThe 2026/27 list
2 of 21 names usedOfficial 2026/27 list (Met Office / Met Éireann / KNMI). Q, U, X, Y and Z are never used, in line with international convention. Storms named first by other European forecasters keep their original names and are not on this list.
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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.
You will never see a UK storm beginning with Q, U, X, Y or Z — those letters are skipped in line with the international convention used for Atlantic tropical storms, which avoids them because too few names start with them.
Some storms that hit the UK carry names from elsewhere. When another European weather service names a storm first — as Spain's AEMET did with Storm Claudia — the Met Office keeps that name rather than issuing its own. One storm, one name, whichever coast it crosses first: it keeps warnings recognisable as weather moves across borders.
The 2025/26 season in review
Seven named storms affected the UK during the 2025/26 season — four named by the Met Office/Met Éireann/KNMI group, and three that kept the names given by Spanish and French forecasters, which is why Benjamin, Claudia and Goretti appear here but not on the list above.
Before the next name is used
A named storm's usual UK impacts are power cuts, travel disruption and local flooding. All three are preparable in an afternoon, calmly, before one is on the map:
Common questions
When is the new storm-name list announced?
Each year in early September, just before the season starts. The 2025/26 list was announced on 31 August 2025 (widely reported as the "1 September" list); the 2026/27 list was announced on 1 September 2026, with Austen first. This page updates automatically when a new list is published.
Why do some UK storms have unusual names?
Names are submitted by the public in the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands, and each country contributes names to the shared list — which is why Dutch and Irish names such as Wubbo, Tadhg or Fionnuala appear alongside British ones. Storms named first by other European countries also keep their original names when they reach the UK.
What's the difference between a named storm and a weather warning?
Warnings are issued for any disruptive weather, on a yellow/amber/red scale. A storm gets a name only when amber or red impacts are expected — so every named storm comes with serious warnings, but plenty of yellow-warning weather never earns a name. Our weather warnings tracker shows what is live right now.
Does a named storm mean I should do anything?
It means pay attention to the actual warnings for your area. The sensible preparation — a torch you can find, phones charged, a plan for a power cut, ideally before the storm is on the map — is covered in our winter storm preparation guide, and none of it needs doing in a panic on the day.
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Start free →Sources: Met Office — UK Storm Centre · Met Office — how and why storms are named · Met Office — 2025/26 storm names announcement (1 Sept 2025) · Met Office — 2026/27 storm names announcement (1 Sept 2026) · Met Office — why Storm Claudia kept its Spanish name. Independent and not affiliated with the Met Office or HM Government.
