Sweden, Denmark, and Norway have created a common list of names for severe weather events effective from January 1, 2026. Names such as Anna, Miriam, and Noah will help provide clearer warnings to the public. The list was drawn up by lottery to ensure they are easy to pronounce in all three countries.
The Nordic countries Sweden, Denmark, and Norway, part of Storm Group Nord, previously had separate procedures for naming storms. They have now agreed on a common list of 22 names to be used for severe storms and weather events starting from the new year. The names were selected by lottery from a selection of Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian personal names not previously used for storms and easy to pronounce in the region.
The list includes: Anna, Björn, Cecilia, Daniel, Elena, Filip, Gunilla, Hugo, Ida, Johan, Karin, Lukas, Miriam, Noah, Olivia, Pelle, Ronja, Sture, Tonje, Urban, Vilma, and Ymer.
The purpose of naming is to create clarity in weather warnings. “Names facilitate the description of warnings and make it easier to follow and remember the storms. A name is easy to remember, which reduces the risk of misunderstandings,” says Eva Strandberg, head of the meteorological forecasting and warning service at SMHI, in a press release.
Sweden lacks a long tradition of naming storms; for example, the devastating Storm Gudrun in 2005 was named by the Norwegian weather service. The countries have different criteria for naming: In Sweden, SMHI names storms expected to cause societal consequences, such as heavy snowfall with winds or rain leading to flooding. Norway uses a consequence-based model, while Denmark only names storms with average winds of at least 25 meters per second.
If a storm already has a name from another country when it reaches the Nordics, the original name is retained. “If a storm already has an established name before it reaches us, it will not be renamed,” explains Eva Strandberg. The common list follows recommendations from the European meteorological network Eumetnet and will facilitate coordination between weather institutes.
