If the storm and the wind blow, it is a sign of a very harsh winter.
The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) has honored the late Dutch astronaut Wubbo Ockels by including his name in the official storm list for the 2025/26 season. This list has been prepared jointly by the meteorological services of the Netherlands, Ireland, and the United Kingdom since 2019, with each country proposing seven names to be used in alphabetical order.
"Wubo" is the last name on the list for this season, which means it will only be used if the year experiences an exceptional number of storms, thus becoming a symbol of a harsh and unusual winter.
Wubbo Ockels was the first Dutch citizen to travel to space, spending seven days aboard the Challenger shuttle in 1985. He passed away in 2014 at the age of 68 after a battle with cancer. Alongside Wubbo, the new list included other Dutch names such as: Chandra, Eddy, Hannah, Jana, Lilith, and Nico.
During the 2024/25 season, names were assigned to six storms by the Western European group, the latest being Storm Floris in August, which was chosen by the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute. Additional names are also borrowed from other regions such as the Mediterranean and Scandinavian countries for storms that originate there. This year, over 50,000 names were submitted to the agencies before the final list was approved.
The first strong storm of the 2025/26 season, defined as sufficient to issue an orange warning, will be named Storm Amy. Among the personal names on the list is Storm Dave, which was suggested by a woman who said she was inspired by "my beloved husband who can snore three times louder than any storm."