The 2025–26 European windstorm season was the eleventh year of the continent's coordinated severe weather naming programme. While the official list of names was unveiled on 1 September 2025, the season’s duration typically spans from the start of September 2025 through to 31 August 2026, with the exception of the Eastern Mediterranean group, which the season begins on 1 October.
This year represented the seventh season of collaboration within the Western Group, where the Netherlands Koninklijk Nederlands Meteorologisch Instituut (KNMI) works alongside the UK’s Met Office and Ireland’s Met Éireann. To the south-west, the national meteorological agencies of Portugal, Spain, France, and Belgium have united for their ninth year of partnership, joined for the first time by Luxembourg.
The Mediterranean regions also entered their fifth year of formal naming. This included the Eastern Mediterranean group—comprising Greece, Israel, and Cyprus—and the Central Mediterranean group, which includes Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Malta. Furthermore, a significant change occurred on 1 January 2026, when the Northern Group, Norway, Sweden and Denmark, adopted a predetermined list of names for the first time.
Background and naming
Definitions and naming conventions
There is no universal definition of what constitutes a windstorm in Europe, nor is there a universal system of naming storms.
In the western group, consisting of the UK, Ireland, and the Netherlands, a storm is named if one of those meteorological agencies issues an orange warning (known as amber in the UK per its National Severe Weather Warning Service system), which generally requires a likelihood of widespread sustained wind speeds greater than , or widespread wind gust speeds over . Required speeds vary slightly by agency and by season. Likelihood of on-land human impacts and inherent severity of the system are further factors in whether to use the next pre-listed name.
The south-western group conducts its own naming (Spain, Portugal, and France). They typically name a storm if it prompts the issuance of an orange warning, usually for wind, rain or in some cases snow.
For Greece to call upon the next name of its group, the criteria are when forecast winds are above over land plus expected to impact infrastructure significantly. For Denmark to do so, a windstorm must have an hourly average wind speed of at least .
The Meteorology Department of the Free University of Berlin (FUB) names all high and low-pressure systems that affect Europe, though they do not assign names to any actual storms. A windstorm that is associated with one of these pressure systems is sometimes recognized by the name given to the associated pressure system by the FUB. Named windstorms that have been recognized by a European meteorological agency are described in this article.
Invoking the next listed name in Europe is commonly by a storm's forecast conditions in the next day or so – as public awareness and preparedness are often cited as the main purpose. A nascent storm very occasionally does not become or remain a storm when reaching the forecasting authority.
Western group (United Kingdom, Ireland and the Netherlands) These following names were chosen for this storm season by the western group.
Amy Bram Chandra Dave
South-western group (France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Luxembourg and Andorra) These following names were chosen for this storm season by the south-western group. Alice Benjamin Claudia Davide Emilia Francis Goretti Harry Ingrid Joseph Kristin Leonardo Marta Nils Oriana Pedro Regina Samuel Therese
Central Mediterranean group (Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Malta) These following names were chosen for this storm season by the Central Mediterranean group. Alessio Barbara Cassio Deborah Erminio
Eastern Mediterranean group (Greece, Israel and Cyprus) The Eastern Mediterranean group works slightly differently compared to other naming lists, instead of ending a season on 31 August of that year, they end the season on 30 September of that year. These are the names that were chosen for the 2025–26 season in Greece, Israel and Cyprus:
Adel Byron
Northern group (Denmark, Norway and Sweden) Much like the naming system used by the Free University of Berlin, this group did not use a pre-set list prior to 2026, instead naming storms as they occurred. Starting in 2026, the northern group established a unified list shared among its member countries. Storm Johannes serves as the final storm to be named independently under the old system.
Johannes
Starting 1 January 2026, the northern group transitioned to a unified list, similar to other European naming groups, and will name storms accordingly. The official list for the region is provided below. Anna
Central/FUB naming group (Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary) Like the northern group, the Free University of Berlin names storms based on low pressures across the continent and does not use a naming list. The critical new criterion for FUB inclusion is that the storm must prompt a widespread orange weather warning or greater across the affected Central, NE, or SE regions of Europe.
Lothar Wolfgang Nils Roman Patricia Ylvi Bernadette Priska
Atlantic ex-tropical cyclones Ex-tropical cyclones (subtropical storms, tropical storms, or hurricanes) that directly impacted a European country from the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season or the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season which became a European windstorm and retained its name as assigned by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami, Florida.
Gabrielle
Season summary
All storms named by European meteorological organisations in their respective forecasting areas, as well as Atlantic hurricanes that transitioned into European windstorms and retained the name assigned by the National Hurricane Center:
Storms
Storm Alessio (Calvin)
Date named and background
Named on 22 September 2025 by the Italian Servizio Meteorologico and Calvin by Free University of Berlin, Alessio was the first named storm of the season for the central Mediterranean group. The system impacted Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Slovenia, and Croatia. Though it maintained a relatively high central pressure, it was responsible for at least two fatalities during its passage.
Weather warnings issued
Servizio Meteorologico, issued red rain warnings for the regions of Piemonte, Toscana and Lazio. With orange rain warnings being issued for Veneto, Lombardia and Liguria. AEMET issued orange warnings for heavy rain and thunderstorm for parts of Balearic Islands.
Storm impacts
Two fatalities were reported during the storm in Spain. The bodies of a father and his 11-year-old son were found after they were swept away by flash flooding on 21 September.
Ex-Hurricane Gabrielle
Date named and background
Hurricane Gabrielle, named by the National Hurricane Center, formed in the main development region of the Atlantic Ocean on 17 September. It peaked as a powerful Category 4 hurricane east of Bermuda. The system then began to accelerate as it approached the Azores archipelago. Gabrielle gradually weakened, and became extratropical a few hundred nautical miles west-southwest of the Azores on 25 September. The storm traversed the Azores then slowed, and moved over the Western Iberian Peninsula on 28 September where it opened up into a trough late that day.
Weather warnings issued
A hurricane watch was issued for the Azores on 22 September. The watch was upgraded to a warning on 24 September. The IPMA issued orange and yellow alerts for all of the Azores. Flores and Corvo were placed under a red alert for precipitation. Terceira, Faial, Pico, São Jorge, and Graciosa were placed under a red alert for wind and rough seas. Orange alerts were eventually issued for the eastern islands.
As ex-Hurricane Gabrielle impacted the Iberian Peninsula, red alerts for rain were issued for eastern parts of Spain, and of precipitation was expected to fall within 24 hours.
Storm impacts
Schools and government buildings in the central and western Azores were closed for Gabrielle. Ports in Madalena, Lajes, and Horta were closed. Flight plans were interrupted from 25 to 27 September in the Azores. This unusual event prompted officials to urge residents and visitors to take all necessary precautions as the storm approached the islands.
Storm Amy (Detlef)
Date named and background
Amy, known as Detlef in Germany, was the first storm named by the western group (Met Office) on 1 October. A powerful "weather bomb", it reached a peak intensity of and produced a 139 mph gust at Folgefonna, Norway. The storm caused widespread damage and four deaths across France, Ireland, and Poland. Over 832,000 homes lost power across Northern Europe, with Sweden reporting its worst outages since 2019.
Weather warnings issued
Chief Meteorologist Tom Crabtree says, the system would bring gale-force winds across northern and island areas of Scotland, with gusts widely reaching inland in the Caithness, Sutherland, and Hebrides areas, and potentially reaching in places. A yellow rain warning was in force for western and central parts of Scotland as of rain was expected widely in a 6–9 hour period with over some hilly areas in the Southwest and the Southern Highlands. Accompanying this was a large yellow wind warning for Scotland, which was upgraded to an Amber warning in northwestern parts of Scotland as well as western parts of Northern Ireland. A yellow wind warning from northern and western England, stretching down to north Wales, was in force with another wind warning in force for Northern Ireland, an area where winds where expected widely with and above expected in exposed areas. A yellow wind warning was later issued, covering the rest of south-west, central, southern, south-eastern and eastern England, as well as southern Wales, with gusts of possible in places, and perhaps along some exposed coasts.
For Ireland a yellow wind warning was in place for the whole country, with the main cause for concern for Met Éireann being difficult travelling conditions, debris and loose objects displaced, and some fallen trees possible. A man in his forties died in the town of Letterkenny in County Donegal around 16:15 on 3 October.
For parts of southern and western Norway, red-severity warnings for extremely strong wind gusts along the Skagerrak coast and extremely heavy rain in parts of Telemark and Vestfold. Widespread orange-severity warnings were also in effect for very strong winds, very heavy rain, flooding, and the potential for debris avalanches and debris flows across various parts of the region. These will result in an expected high risk of cancelled flights, ferries and other transport disruptions.
Danish Meteorological Institute issued warnings for high winds, heavy rain, and elevated water levels this weekend due to Storm Amy. Gale-force to stormy-gale winds, with hurricane-force gusts possible, were expected sweep the region, mainly on Jutland's coasts. Simultaneously, widespread heavy rain is expected Saturday, potentially dropping in some spots. High water levels up to were anticipated in the Wadden Sea and along the west coast of Jutland.
Storm impacts
In France two people have died due to the storm, the first one drowned and the second got killed in his car with a collapsed tree and second person was injured.