Austen, Boelo and Chloe: how western Europe names its storms

Background

The Met Office, Met Éireann and KNMI, the Dutch national meteorological service, select storm names jointly as the western Europe storm naming group. Their list for 2026/27, published by the Met Office, begins with Austen, Boelo and Chloe and runs to 21 names, ending with Vesna and Wende. The list excludes certain letters to align with international storm-naming conventions. A storm is named when it has the potential to cause medium or high impacts in the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands, which usually means an amber or red warning is expected at some point during the event. Strong winds are the primary consideration, but rain or snow with significant impacts can also trigger a name. Names are assessed for difficulty of pronunciation, differing meanings across the three countries, links to significant public figures and potential controversy. Austen and Boelo are the first two names on the 2026/27 list, and the Western Europe storm naming group named four storms in the previous season.