The 2015–16 UK and Ireland windstorm season was the first instance of the United Kingdom's Met Office and Ireland's Met Éireann naming extratropical cyclones. The season started on 10 November with the naming of Storm Abigail and ended on 28 March with the dissipation of Storm Katie. With a total of eleven named storms,the 2015–16 season is the most active to date.
Storm Desmond was an extratropical cyclone and fourth named storm of the 2015–16 UK and Ireland windstorm season,notable for directing a plume of moist air,known as an atmospheric river,which brought record amounts of orographic rainfall to upland areas of northern Atlantic Europe and subsequent major floods.
The 2016–17 UK and Ireland windstorm season was the second instance of the United Kingdom's Met Office and Ireland's Met Éireann naming extratropical cyclones. Substantially less active than the previous season,the season succeeded the 2015–16 UK and Ireland windstorm season and preceded the 2017–18 European windstorm season.
The 2017–2018 European windstorm season was the third instance of seasonal European windstorm naming. France,Spain and Portugal took part in winter storm naming for the first time this season.
Hurricane Ophelia was regarded as the worst storm to affect Ireland in 50 years,and was also the easternmost Atlantic major hurricane on record. The tenth and final consecutive hurricane and the sixth major hurricane of the very active 2017 Atlantic hurricane season,Ophelia had non-tropical origins from a decaying cold front on 6 October. Located within a favourable environment,the storm steadily strengthened over the next two days,drifting north and then southeastwards before becoming a hurricane on 11 October. After becoming a Category 2 hurricane and fluctuating in intensity for a day,Ophelia intensified into a major hurricane on 14 October south of the Azores,brushing the archipelago with high winds and heavy rainfall. Shortly after achieving peak intensity,Ophelia began weakening as it accelerated over progressively colder waters to its northeast towards Ireland and Great Britain. Completing an extratropical transition early on 16 October,Ophelia became the second storm of the 2017–18 European windstorm season. Early on 17 October,the cyclone crossed the North Sea and struck western Norway,with wind gusts up to 70 kilometres per hour (43 mph) in Rogaland county,before weakening during the evening of 17 October. The system then moved across Scandinavia,before dissipating over Norway on the next day.
The 2018–2019 European windstorm season was the fourth instance of seasonal European windstorm naming in Europe. Most storms form between September and March. The first named storm,Ali,affected primarily the United Kingdom and Ireland on 19 September 2018.
The 2019–20 European windstorm season was the fifth instance of seasonal European windstorm naming in Europe. This is the first season in which the Netherlands meteorological authority took part,joining those of Ireland and the United Kingdom. It comprised a year from 1 September to 31 August,however names were announced six days into that year. The Portuguese,Spanish and French meteorological agencies again collaborated too,joined by the Belgian meteorological agency.
Storm Ciara was a powerful and long-lived extratropical cyclone that was the first of a pair of European windstorms to affect the United Kingdom and Ireland at peak intensity less than a week apart in early February 2020,followed by Storm Dennis a week later. Ciara caused widespread wind and flooding damage across Europe,and at least 13 fatalities.
Storm Dennis was a European windstorm which,in February 2020,became one of the most intense extratropical cyclones ever recorded,reaching a minimum central pressure of 920 millibars. The thirteenth named storm of the 2019–20 European windstorm season,Dennis affected the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom less than a week after Storm Ciara,exacerbating the impacts from that storm amidst ongoing flooding in the latter country.
The 2020–2021 European windstorm season was the sixth instance of seasonal European windstorm naming in Europe. This is the second season in which the Netherlands participates,joining Ireland's and the United Kingdom's meteorological agencies. It comprised a year from 1 September to 31 August. The Portuguese,Spanish,and French meteorological agencies will again collaborate too,joined by the Belgian meteorological agency.
Storm Alex was a powerful early-season extratropical cyclone that was particularly notable for its extreme flooding around the Mediterranean. Alex caused widespread wind and flooding damage across Europe,and at least 16 fatalities,with one more person missing. Alex was the first named storm in the 2020–21 European windstorm season.
The 2021–22 European windstorm season was the seventh instance of seasonal European windstorm naming in Europe. This was the third season in which the Netherlands participated,alongside the meteorological agencies of Ireland and the United Kingdom. It comprised a year from 1 September to 31 August,except in the Eastern Mediterranean Group which is shifted a month later. The Portuguese,Spanish,French and Belgian meteorological agencies collaborated again,for the fifth time,joined by the Luxembourg meteorological agency. This was the first season when Greece,Israel and Cyprus,and Italy,Slovenia,Croatia,Montenegro,North Macedonia and Malta named storms which affected their areas.
Storm Arwen was a powerful extratropical cyclone that was part of the 2021–22 European windstorm season. It affected the United Kingdom,Ireland and France,bringing strong winds and snow. Storm Arwen caused at least three fatalities and widespread power outages. Damage was exacerbated by the fact that the strong winds came unusually from the north.
Storm Barra was a hurricane-force extratropical bomb cyclone in the North Atlantic Ocean that impacted Ireland and the United Kingdom with damaging gusts and heavy rainfall. Barra was also the reason for one of Navarre in Spain's worst floods in two decades. A surface low first developed over the Atlantic Ocean,which would eventually become Barra. This system rapidly intensified owing to approaching Ireland,bottoming from 1,010 to 956 hectopascals (29.8–28.2 inHg) in just 24 hours. It then impacted the country,before weakening and moving through the United Kingdom. As it entered the North Sea,it further degraded and was absorbed by the frontal system of "Justus",an extratropical cyclone named by the Free University of Berlin (FUB).
The 2022–23 European windstorm season was the deadliest and costliest European windstorm season on record,mainly because of the impact in northern Libya of Storm Daniel,which became the deadliest and costliest medicane ever recorded as well as the deadliest tropical or subtropical system worldwide since 2008.
The 2023–2024 European windstorm season was the ninth season of the European windstorm naming in Europe. It comprised a year,from 1 September 2023 to 31 August 2024. This was the fifth season where the Netherlands participated,alongside the United Kingdom's Met Office and Ireland's Met Éireann in the western group. The Portuguese,Spanish,French and Belgian meteorological agencies collaborated for the seventh time,joined by Luxembourg's agency. This was the third season where Greece,Israel and Cyprus,and Italy,Slovenia,Croatia,Montenegro,North Macedonia and Malta named storms which affected their areas.
The 2024–2025 European windstorm season is the tenth and current season. It comprises a year,from 1 September to 31 August,except shifted a month later in the Eastern Mediterranean Group. The storm names were announced four days before the start of the season on 28 August 2024. This was the sixth season in which the Netherlands participated alongside the United Kingdom's Met Office and Ireland's Met Éireann in the western group. The Portuguese,Spanish,French and Belgian meteorological agencies collaborated for the eighth time,joined by Luxembourg's agency. This is the fourth season of the Eastern Mediterranean and Central Mediterranean groups,in which they comprised respectively:Greece,Israel and Cyprus;and Italy,Slovenia,Croatia,Montenegro,North Macedonia and Malta.
Storm Ashley was the first named storm from the 'western group' list of names,being named by Ireland. It was also known in Germany as Josefine,being named by Free University of Berlin.
Storm Darragh was a powerful extratropical cyclone which severely impacted Ireland and the United Kingdom in December 2024. The fourth named storm of the 2024–25 European windstorm season,Darragh was named by the UK Met Office on 5 December 2024.
Storm Éowyn was an extremely powerful and record-breaking extratropical cyclone which hit Ireland,the Isle of Man and the United Kingdom on 24 January 2025 and Norway on the night of 24 January into 25 January 2025. The twenty-seventh storm of the 2024–25 European windstorm season,Éowyn was named by the UK Met Office on 21 January 2025.
