The storm file
Wind, lightning, hurricanes, tornadoes and storm names. Every fact links to its source, checked 26 Oct 2026.
Slide the Beaufort scale
The Beaufort scale, used in Met Office marine forecasts, describes how strong the wind is from what the sea looks like. [source]
Wind and sea values from the Met Office Beaufort table. Knots are nautical miles per hour. The windsock is our own drawing, not a measurement. The Met Office notes that the official name for force 9 is strong gale, but it uses “severe gale”.
Where the scale came from
- Francis Beaufort created his wind scale in 1806, while in command of HMS Woolwich. [source]
Lightning and thunder
- Thunder is always heard after the lightning is seen, because light travels much faster than sound. [source]
- Count the seconds from the flash to the start of the thunder. Divide by three for a rough distance in kilometres, or by five for miles. [source]
- Thunder is rarely heard more than 20 km away. [source]
- A lightning channel heats the air for a moment to around 50,000 °F, much hotter than the surface of the Sun. The air explodes outwards, and that is thunder. [source]
- If you can hear thunder, you are already within range of where the next ground flash may occur. [source]
- When thunder roars, go indoors, and stay there until 30 minutes after the last clap of thunder. [source]
Hurricanes
- A tropical cyclone is called a hurricane when its maximum sustained winds reach 74 mph. [source]
- The Atlantic “hurricane season” runs from 1 June to 30 November, although hurricanes can and do happen outside it. [source]
Tornadoes
- A tornado is a narrow, violently rotating column of air that reaches from a thunderstorm to the ground. [source]
- Tornadoes happen in many parts of the world, including Europe, not just the USA. [source]
Storm names, 2026/27
- The UK storm-naming scheme began in 2015, and a new list of names comes out each September. [source]
- Storm names are chosen jointly by the Met Office, Met Éireann (Ireland) and KNMI (the Netherlands). [source]
- In the UK, a storm is named when it could cause disruption or damage that might lead to an amber or red warning. [source]
- The 2026/27 list of 21 names runs from 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2027. The letters Q, U, X, Y and Z are left out, in line with the US National Hurricane Center. [source]
| Name | Say it | Chosen by |
|---|---|---|
| Austen | Met Éireann | |
| Boelo | Boo-loh | KNMI |
| Chloe | Met Office | |
| Dano | Dah-noh | KNMI |
| Evelyn | Met Éireann | |
| Finn | Met Office | |
| Gwendolyn | Gwen-duh-lin | KNMI |
| Heather | Met Éireann | |
| Ivy | Met Office | |
| Jade | KNMI | |
| Kilian | Met Éireann | |
| Laoise | Lee-sha | Met Éireann |
| Miriam | Met Éireann | |
| Nicola | Met Office | |
| Olaf | KNMI | |
| Phelim | Fay-lim | Met Éireann |
| Ruban | Met Office | |
| Shaun | Met Office | |
| Theo | Met Office | |
| Vesna | Vehs-nuh | KNMI |
| Wende | Vhen-duh | KNMI |
The list and pronunciations are from the Met Office announcement of 1 September 2026. A new list comes out each September, so this table is for the 2026/27 season only. For names used so far, see the UK Storm Centre.
Storms in space
- Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is a giant storm that is bigger than Earth. [source]
Kit for weather watchers
Handy things for keeping an eye on the sky: Rain gauges · Weather stations for kids · Handheld anemometers · Cloud-spotting books · Weather books for kids. These are Amazon UK search links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.