Wednesday 2nd September
The first day of meteorological autumn was very pleasant, dry and warm that lifted the maximum temperature to a high of 21.4C, which was 2.4C above average. The past night was mild under the flow of moist, warm air off the Atlantic under cloudy conditions that saw the thermometer not drop below 14.2C at 06.24, being 4.7C above my September average.
There was the glimmer of very weak sunshine on Wednesday morning after the sun rose through small gaps in the thin cloud, but it was soon obliterated as thick cloud continued to drift across on the southwesterly breeze. The radar showed a rash of broken shower activity heading our way and the first spots of rain were seen and felt by me at 08.00 as I picked some flowers.
Although the barometric pressure is still relatively high, with its centre to the east, the cloud from the depression to the northwest will dominate our weather today pushing a weather front across the country with a possible light shower or drizzle late morning, from variable cloud.
The rest of the week appears to be alternate days of dry, fine weather interspersed with cloudy days with the temperatures by day and night several degrees above the September average thanks to the flow of moist, warm, air brought on a southwesterly breeze coming in from the Atlantic, gusty at times, as various weather fronts cross the country.
New storm names for 2026-2027 released by Met Office
The first of September marked the start of meteorological autumn, and with it the start of the UK’s storm season.
In preparation for potential stormy spells, the Met Office has released a new list of names for the 2026-2027 season which have been chosen by members of the public.
Storms are named by the UK Met Office, Ireland’s Met Éireann or the Netherlands’ KNMI when they are forecast to cause “medium” or “high” impacts.
The names in alphabetical order are:
Austen, Boelo, Chloe, Dano, Evelyn, Finn, Gwendolyn, Heather, Ivy, Jade, Kilian, Laoise, Miriam, Nicola, Olaf, Phelim, Ruban, Shaun, Theo, Vesna, Wennde
N.B. I have checked the spelling as published in the Met Office release!
Why are storms named?
In the UK, storms are named when they are likely to cause disruption or damage that could lead to an amber or red warning being issued.
This decision is based on both the potential impact of the weather and how likely it is to occur.
Names are typically given to storms where impacts from strong winds are expected, although other weather-related effects are also taken into account such as heavy rainfall or snow which may lead to flooding or travel disruption.
Using one official system to name storms helps to share clear and consistent information about severe weather, making it easier for the public to stay safe.
The 2026-2027 marks the eleventh year of storm naming in the UK.
How are storm names chosen?
Storm names are selected jointly by the Met Office, Met Éireann and KNMI, with the final list aiming to reflect communities across the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands.
In 2025 the three meteorology agencies invited nominations for names from the public.
More than 40,000 were submitted – we saw names such as Amy, Isla and Marty selected for the 2025/2026 storm season.