Kilian, Jade and Miriam - meet the people sharing their names with storms

Austen, Boelo and Chloe will be the first three names used for storms which could affect the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands during the new storm season.

The list of 21 names has been announced by the Met Office, Met Éireann and the Dutch national weather service, KNMI, and comes into effect on 1 September and runs until 31st August 2027.

Other names which could feature in weather forecasts over the coming year include Kilian, Jade, Miriam, Finn and Nicola - while one of Britain's best-known animated characters has also made the cut.

Shaun, after Shaun the Sheep, was chosen following a public vote which pitted him against fellow character Timmy.

Meanwhile, Met Éireann has used the list to mark the 90th anniversary of the establishment of the Irish Meteorological Service.

The full list is - Austen, Boelo, Chloe, Dano, Evelyn, Finn, Gwendolyn, Heather, Ivy, Jade, Kilian, Laoise, Miriam, Nicola, Olaf, Phelim, Ruban, Shaun, Theo, Vesna and Wende.

The letters Q, U, X, Y and Z are not used, in line with the US National Hurricane Center naming convention.

Each of the three national weather services contributed seven names.

Met Éireann's selections are Austen, Evelyn, Heather, Kilian, Laoise, Miriam and Phelim.

Austen honours Austen H Nagle, who became the first director of the Irish Meteorological Service when it was established in 1936.

He had previously worked for the British Meteorological Office and remained director in Ireland until 1948, when he took up a senior role with the US Weather Bureau.

Evelyn recognises two pioneering women - Evelyn Murphy and Evelyn Cusack.

Cusack, a former RTÉ weather forecaster, said it marked "a real social change in forecasting".

'It's named after Evelyn Murphy, the first female weather presenter on Irish TV and myself, the first female head of forecasting at Met Éireann'.

"Before that, it was all men. Women were only really allowed into the meteorological office after Ireland joined the EU, along with equality laws."

"I just hope that Storm Evelyn isn't a bad storm, it would horrible to see anyone hurt or killed," she added.

Killian McLaughlin, from Wild Ireland in County Donegal, told BBC News that it was great to see his name among those chosen.

"Although it's a more popular name now, growing up in the 90s I was the only Killian I knew so it's great to make the list

"I'm known as the bear man of Buncrana, so if Storm Kilian comes this way it'll probably roar in like a bear. My family would expect it to be unpredictable and unexpected!"

Chloe, which was nominated more than 130 times, was among the names chosen by the Met Office.

One nomination came from the mother of a five-year-old who described her daughter as fascinated by the weather, and said she could also create a storm of her own when tired.

The Dutch selections include Boelo (pronounced Boo-loh), a name which is becoming rare in the East Groningen region and which had been passed through the nominator's family for generations.

RTÉ broadcaster Miriam O'Callaghan told BBC News she hoped a Storm Miriam would not cause too much havoc.

"Storms are associated with high-octane stormy presences and that's the opposite to who I am – I hope Storm Miriam will be the same as me," she said.

"I'm known to my friends and family as being calm, and I've never had a row in my life."

Storm naming is intended to make potentially dangerous weather easier for people to identify, follow and discuss.

The Met Office and Met Éireann say using a single, memorable name provides a clear reference point for forecasts, weather warnings, emergency services, news coverage and information shared on social media.

The Met Office said surveys following Storm Goretti in January 2026 found 93% of people within its amber warning area were aware of the warnings and 88% of those took some form of action, such as staying at home, avoiding driving or shopping earlier.

Jade McNally, from Londonderry, told BBC News she "always wanted to see Storm Jade make the list and that she is quite flattered."

"I would describe Storm Jade as unpredictable, maybe slightly dramatic, and probably best avoided," she said.

"My friends and family will think it is cool that I have made this list, but they will probably be a bit jealous."

The current system dates back to 2015, when the Met Office and Met Éireann launched the Name our Storms initiative.

The first storm named under the scheme was Storm Abigail in November 2015.

The Netherlands' KNMI joined the partnership in 2019, creating what is known as the Western Europe storm naming group.

A storm is named when it is forecast to have the potential to cause medium or high impacts in the UK, Ireland or the Netherlands.

Strong winds are often the main reason for naming a storm, but significant impacts from rain or snow can also result in a storm being named.

Warnings take into account both forecast conditions and their likely impacts, and different areas can have different warning levels during the same storm.

The Met Office, Met Éireann and KNMI agree the annual list together.

Forecasters consider issues such as whether a name is difficult to pronounce, whether it could have different meanings in the three countries, its association with significant public figures and whether it could be considered controversial.

The result is one alphabetical list which can be readily used in all three countries.

Other European meteorological services operate their own naming arrangements. Spain, Portugal and France, for example, are part of a south-west European group.

If one of those services names a weather system first, that name is retained as the storm moves into other countries.

That happened during the 2025-26 season with Storm Claudia, which was named by Spain's Aemet.

If a named tropical system subsequently crosses the Atlantic towards Ireland and the UK, its existing name is kept, such as ex-hurricane Ophelia in October 2017.

It had been a hurricane over the Atlantic before becoming an extratropical storm as it approached Ireland.

Ophelia brought widespread impacts to Northern Ireland, including fallen trees, power cuts and travel disruption.

The Met Office described Storm Éowyn in January 2025 as Northern Ireland's most significant windstorm since the Boxing Day storm of 1998.

A rare red warning for wind was issued for Northern Ireland, while a gust of 92mph (148km/h) was recorded at Killowen in County Down.

Across the border, Éowyn was even more exceptional. Met Éireann says a gust of 184km/h (114mph) was recorded at Mace Head in County Galway - the strongest gust recorded in Ireland.

The number varies considerably from year to year.

Met Éireann says 87 named storms have affected Ireland during the 11 seasons since the initiative began in 2015-16.

The busiest was 2023-24, when 14 named storms affected Ireland, while the lowest was four in 2022-23.

The Department for Infrastructure, which leads the response to flooding in Northern Ireland, has said preparations take place throughout the year with staff on call 24 hours a day.

A spokesperson said the department works with more than 50 communities at risk of flooding to offer support such as emergency planning, river-level alerts, and local stores of sandbags.

They also added that about 30 flood alleviation schemes are at various stages of development.

Possibly never.

Although Austen becomes the first available name on 1 September, it will only be used if a weather system meets the criteria for naming.