New storm names for the 2026-2027 season
The storm season has started again. This means we are getting new storm names. The first storm this year is called Austen.
This name comes from Ireland. Then comes storm Boelo, a Dutch name from Groningen. The third storm is called Chloe, which is a British name.
Why do storms get a name? This way people know that bad weather is approaching. They can then prepare better.
The Netherlands, Great Britain, and Ireland choose the names together. Each country submits seven names. People in the Netherlands could submit names between April 7 and May 7, 2026, via the website of the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI).
The Dutch storm names for this year are: Boelo, Dano, Gwendolyn, Jade, Olaf, Vesna, and Wende. Dano was created for professor Dano Roelvink, who did a lot of research on the coast. He is retiring this year.
Gwendolyn got her name because her parents used to tell her that a storm would be named after her if she did not clean her room. Now that has really happened. Jade is the name of a young influencer who passed away at the age of 19 from cancer.
Many people voted for this name as a tribute. Olaf was a friend of someone who submitted his name. He had a muscle disease but loved storms very much.
Vesna has a fiery personality, so her name fits a storm. Wende is named after the old, vanished village De Westen on Texel, which disappeared because of storm and water. The Irish meteorological service celebrates its 90th anniversary this year.
That is why four of their submitted storm names are special names of important people in their history, such as Austen, Evelyn, Kilian, and Miriam. Other names come from the Irish public. Great Britain has collaborated with the creators of the animation Shaun the Sheep.
The name Shaun is now also on the list. The remaining English names came from the British public. With storm names, the KNMI wants to warn people about dangerous weather.
This way everyone can follow the warnings well in the news and on social media, especially when there are many storms close to each other. Last year, almost everyone in the Netherlands knew during storm Benjamin that the storm had a name and was well informed about warnings for strong winds. Since 2019, the Netherlands has been working with Ireland and Great Britain on the names of storms.
Together, these countries form the 'western group'. This makes sense because most storms come from the west. They do not use certain letters for storm names: Q, U, X, Y, and Z.
This is an international agreement.