Cyprus, Greece, and Israel announce storm naming list for 2026-2027 season

Meteorological services from Cyprus, Greece, and Israel have finalized a list of 25 names to be assigned to extreme weather systems in the Eastern Mediterranean. This initiative covers the hydrological year running from October 1, 2026, to September 30, 2027. The project aims to improve public communication and clarify warnings regarding severe events, including storms, cyclones, heavy rainfall, and heatwaves that significantly disrupt daily activities and transport.

The list includes names such as Argos, Bar, Chavrias, Dorothea, Eitan, Philippa, Glaukos, Hadar, Ikaros, Jason, Kedem, Laskarina, Morpheus, Nadia, Odysseus, Persephoni, Roxani, Sisyphos, Tamar, Uranos, Vergina, Wasim, Xanthe, Hypnos, and Zohar. The names will be assigned in alphabetical order as they occur, provided that a specific weather system is deemed potentially dangerous by experts from all three countries after consulting forecast models.

This cooperative practice has been in effect since October 1, 2021. The meteorological authorities convene weekly, or more frequently if necessary, to evaluate atmospheric conditions and decide whether a name should be assigned to a specific system. It is important to note that the inclusion of a name on the list does not imply that the weather system is already present or guaranteed to form.