2026-03-24 11:04:36

Elon Gust and Dame Judi Drench are among a wave of unusual and humorous names submitted by the public for future UK storms.

According to information released by the Met Office, Britain’s national weather service, they showing how members of the public have continued to engage with the annual storm-naming process introduced in 2015.

Each year, thousands of names are put forward, though only around 20 are ultimately selected for official use.

A Freedom of Information request has shown for the 2025—‘26 storm season, more than 50,000 suggestions were submitted, ranging from serious entries to playful puns.

The final list – agreed jointly by forecasters in the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands – now includes names such as Amy, Bram, Chandra, Dave, Eddie, Fionnuala, Gerard, Hannah, Isla, Janna, Kasia, Lilith, Marty, Nico, Oscar, Patrick, Ruby, Stevie, Tadhg, Violet and Wubbo.

A Met Office forecaster told Sky News: “Some of the names are really clever and funny and we enjoy seeing them suggested.”

They added: “However, we couldn’t ever use comedy names for our storms, because at the heart of it, naming storms has an important safety purpose.”

Among the rejected suggestions were names including Stormy McStormFace, Keir Stormer, David Blowy, Storm Prince Andrew, Bruce Spring Storm, Fifty Shades of Rain and Stormzy.

Officials emphasised that safety and clarity remain the priority when selecting names that may be used in severe weather warnings.

The naming system is designed to improve communication and awareness when storms are forecast to have a medium (amber) or high (red) impact.

Once a storm meets those criteria, it is assigned the next name on the list, helping the public and emergency services track and respond to potentially dangerous conditions.

Chandra was among the first names used during the current UK storm season, which impacted swathes of Britain and Ireland at the end of January.

Dave is next in line, although with spring approaching, several names on the list may not be required if severe weather does not materialise.

Storm naming in Europe is coordinated across regional groups, with Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium and Luxembourg collaborating on names for southwestern Europe, while Denmark, Sweden and Norway manage naming for northern regions.

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