The Met Office has said it cannot confirm reports that Storm Chloe is on the way, even as parts of the UK are set to see colder conditions later in November. The forecaster explained that storms cannot be predicted reliably so far in advance.
Storms Austen and Boelo affected large parts of the UK last month, with weather warnings in place across Merseyside. With the weather now settled, the Met Office's long-range forecast points to cooler temperatures arriving later this month.
Colder conditions and possible wintry showers
The Met Office said: "Toward the end of next week we may start to see some colder conditions spread from the north to much of, if not all of the UK, but while the nature of this colder outbreak is very uncertain, it could bring some wintry showers to the northern UK briefly, with the south trending drier once again."
Forecasts beyond five days become less precise because of the chaotic nature of the atmosphere, the forecaster added. Small events currently over the Atlantic can have significant impacts on UK weather several days later, so text forecasts for five days and beyond are written on the scale of the UK as a whole.
Why Storm Chloe is in the news
The name Chloe has circulated in the news as a potential storm simply because it is the next name on the storm list. The Met Office said: "Chloe is simply the next name on the 2026/27 storm-name list, following Storms Austen and Boelo, so some of the coverage appears to be referring to the next available name rather than to a storm that has actually been named or confirmed."
Storms are named by the Met Office, Met Éireann and KNMI when they have the potential to cause medium or high impacts in the UK, Ireland or the Netherlands, typically when an amber or red warning is expected during the event. At present, it would not be accurate to say that Storm Chloe is on the way, and the advice is to keep an eye on the latest Met Office forecast and warnings for any developments.
How storms are named
In the UK, a storm is named when it has the potential to cause disruption or damage that could result in an amber or red warning. This is based on the Met Office's National Severe Weather Warnings service, which combines the impact the weather may have with the likelihood of those impacts occurring. Storms are usually named based on the impacts of strong winds, but the impacts of other weather types are also considered.
Holly Clements, 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."
The full list of storm names for 2026/27 is Austen, Boelo, Chloe, Dano, Evelyn, Finn, Gwendolyn, Heather, Ivy, Jade, Kilian, Laoise, Mirian, Nicola, Olaf, Phelim, Ruban, Shaun, Theo, Vesna and Wende.
