Shaun the Sheep hailed on latest list of storm names

From a five-year-old weather enthusiast to a beloved animated sheep, the inspiration for the list of storm names for this autumn and winter is wide and varied.Austen, Boelo and Chloe will be the first named storms of this winter, meteorologists have revealed, after more than 40,000 suggestions were submitted by the public.The UK’s Met Office, in partnership with Ireland’s Met Éireann and the Dutch national weather forecasting service KNMI, released the list for the 2026-27 season on Monday.People submitted names in honour of a much-loved labrador puppy, meteorological pioneers and Shaun the Sheep, from the animation Wallace and Gromit.The Met Office said the purpose of naming storms was serious as it helped people take notice, prepare and stay safe in severe weather.The organisations have been naming storms since 2015, with the list running from early September to the following August. It coincides with the start of meteorological autumn, when the likelihood of low-pressure systems and the potential for storms severe enough to be named increases.In the last year, four names were used from the list, reaching the letter D with Storm Dave on 1 April, although the UK was also affected by a further three storms named by other European meteorological services: Benjamin, Claudia and Goretti.The third name in this year’s list, Chloe, was selected by the Met Office after being put forward more than 120 times, including by the mother of a five-year weather enthusiast who is “fascinated by the weather” but can also “create a storm by herself” when she is tired.The name Finn was suggested for a two-year-old boy described by his family as “wild and a force to be reckoned with”, while Ivy was nominated in honour of a nine-month-old labrador puppy affectionately known as “the absolute destructor”.Shaun also joins the list after a public vote that was run as part of a collaboration with the British animation studio Aardman, which is behind Wallace and Gromit.Holly Clements, the Met Office head of warnings and guidance, said: “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.”Storms are given a name when they are deemed to have the potential to have a medium or high impact in the UK, Ireland or the Netherlands. Wind is the primary focus, although additional issues such as rain or snow are also considered.This year’s names, and the countries they came from, are: Austen Ireland Boelo (Boo-loh) Netherlands Chloe UK Dano (Dah-noh) Netherlands Evelyn Ireland Finn UK Gwendolyn Netherlands Heather Ireland Ivy UK Jade Netherlands Kilian Ireland Laoise (Lee-sha) Ireland Miriam Ireland Nicola UK Olaf Netherlands Phelim Ireland Ruban UK Shaun UK Theo UK Vesna (Vehs-nuh) Netherlands Wende (Vhen-duh) Netherlands