The Met Office has revealed the official list of storm names for the 2026-27 season, which includes names inspired by loved ones, pets, and even the animated character Shaun the Sheep. This initiative, a collaboration between the Met Office, Ireland's Met Eireann, and the Dutch national weather forecasting service KNMI, aims to enhance public awareness and preparedness for severe weather events.
The naming convention, in place since 2015, runs from early September to the following August and coincides with the increase in low-pressure systems and storm potential during autumn. Meteorologists announced that Austen, Boelo, and Chloe will be the first storms to receive names in the upcoming season, following over 40,000 public suggestions.
Holly Clements, Met Office head of warnings and guidance, emphasized the importance of storm naming, stating, "For more than a decade, storm naming has helped us communicate the risks from severe weather more effectively. A named storm provides a clear focus for forecasts and warnings, helping more people understand the potential impacts and take action to protect themselves, their families and their property."
In the previous year, four storms from the list were named: Amy, Bram, Chandra, and Dave. The UK also experienced impacts from three additional storms named by other European services: Benjamin, Claudia, and Goretti. The naming list follows an alphabetical order, excluding Q, U, X, Y, and Z, as per North Atlantic naming conventions.
Chloe was the third name on this year's list and was submitted over 120 times, notably by the mother of a young weather enthusiast. Other names include Finn, suggested for a "wild and a force to be reckoned with" two-year-old boy; Ivy, nominated in honor of a destructive nine-month-old Labrador puppy; Nicola, a tribute to a resilient mother; and Theo, inspired by a cat that seemed to predict thunderstorms.
The inclusion of Shaun the Sheep came about through a public vote as part of a collaboration with Aardman, the animation studio behind Wallace and Gromit, intended to engage new audiences in discussions about severe weather preparedness.
Met Eireann has selected names commemorating figures from its history, such as Austen (honoring Austen Nagle, the first director of the Irish Meteorological Service) and Evelyn (for Evelyn Murphy, the first woman to present weather on RTE). KNMI chose names like Boelo, a rare regional name passed down through generations, from over 3,000 public submissions.
Eoin Sherlock, Met Eireann head of forecasting division, noted the effectiveness of naming storms: "We know that naming storms makes it easier for people to track important and up-to-date forecast and safety-related information as we can see from the levels of traffic and activity through our website and across social media platforms during storm events."
The Met Office considers several factors when adding a name to the list, including ease of pronunciation, potential for different meanings across countries, connection to public figures, and avoidance of controversy. Storms are named when they have the potential to cause medium or high impacts in the UK, Ireland, or the Netherlands, with wind being the primary consideration, though rain or snow impacts are also assessed.