Road Closed sign on a flooded UK street.

UK storms – data and impact on drivers

Barney Cotton

Consumer Editor

8 minute read|2nd Apr 2026

Driving in the UK comes with several challenges – and adapting to changing weather conditions is one of them.

In this know how guide, we look at storms in the UK, when the next one will land, and what drivers should do.

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How many days does it rain in the UK?

According to Statista, the UK typically has between 15 and 22 days of rain every month. This averages out to around 156 days a year.

Scotland receives more rain than England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

England is the driest of the four nations.

The Atlantic Ocean drives precipitation into northern and western areas, explaining why Scotland is wetter than England.

How many storms are there every year in the UK?

The Statista data shows that there is an average of 10-20 storms every year in the UK – with two to five receiving names from the Met Office.

Since naming began in 2015, the number of named storms has had a low of two in 2022/23 season – and a high of 12 in the 2023/24 season.

Scotland, Wales, and western England are normally the worst affected areas.

Storm names for 2025/2026 season

These are the names of the storms that have hit the UK so far in 2025 and are set to impact the UK before the end of the 2026 season.

Storm Eowyn – Hit the UK on the 24th January 2025
Storm Floris – Last two days, from the 4th to the 5th August 2025
Storm Amy – Impacted the UK from the 3rd to 4th October 2025
Storm Benjamin – Moved up from central Europe and affected parts of the UK on the 23rd October
Storm Claudia – Starting from today and lasting until Sunday 16th November
Storm Bram - Starts today and ends on Wednesday 10th December
Storm Goretti - First of 2026, and it lasted two days from Thursday 8th January until Friday 9th January
Storm Chandra - Strong winds will take place on Monday 26th and Tuesday 27th January
Storm Dave - Wind and rain over the Easter period - Thursday 2nd April to Sunday 5th April

These are many names that are prepared for the next storms to arrive in the UK over the next few months.

The Met Office will release these names when there is forecast to be a storm.

New names for storms are released every September and run to the following August.

Why do storms get a name?

In the UK, storms are named when they pose a risk of disruption or damage likely to trigger amber or red warnings.

This decision comes from the National Severe Weather Warnings service, which weighs both the potential impact and its likelihood.

While strong winds and heavy rain are the usual triggers, other severe weather types may also lead to a storm being named.

When a storm meets the criteria for naming, meaning it poses a risk of significant disruption or danger, the responsibility for assigning its name falls to one of three national meteorological services: the UK’s Met Office, Ireland’s Met Éireann, or the Dutch KNMI.

Together, they form the western Europe storm naming group.

The chosen name is taken from the annually approved list, which is arranged alphabetically and alternates between male and female names.

This system ensures consistency, helps the public easily identify severe weather events, and raises awareness of potential impacts across the region.

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What is classed as a storm?

A storm is a violent atmospheric disturbance marked by strong winds, heavy rain, thunder, lightning, and/or snowfall.

It occurs when areas of low pressure intensify, creating unstable weather conditions over both small and larger areas.

Storms often leading to flooding, property damage, and risks to human safety when driving.

Number of days of rain per month in the UK

Data from On Average highlights the average rainfall by month across the UK, based on data from the last 30 years.

Month	Average rainy days
January	15.5
February	13.6
March	13.1
April	12.3
May	11.2
June	11.0
July	12.1
August	12.4
September	13.0
October	15.0
November	15.2
December	14.9

What is a ‘weather bomb’?

A weather bomb is a low-pressure system that drops 24 millibars in 24 hours, a process called explosive cyclogenesis.

Driven by the jet stream, falling pressure pulls in surrounding air, tightening rotation like a spinning skater.

The resulting winds can peak quickly, strong enough to topple trees, damage buildings, and cause havoc on the roads.

What is a ‘storm surge’?

A storm surge is a rise in sea level driven by a storm, often causing severe coastal flooding.

Fierce winds push seawater toward the shore, piling it up, while low pressure at the storm’s centre adds a smaller lift – about 1 cm for every millibar drop – known as the inverse barometer effect.

Powerful winds also generate large waves that can batter sea defences or spill over, heightening flood risks. In tropical storms like hurricanes, heavy rainfall further compounds the danger.

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When is the next storm?

Storm Dave is set to bring very strong winds to northern parts of the UK from Saturday evening into Sunday.

After a largely fine Thursday, conditions will turn more unsettled heading into the Easter weekend, with the rapidly deepening low‑pressure system driving severe weather across northern Britain.

Yellow wind warnings have been issued for Scotland, Northern Ireland, north Wales and parts of northern England. These may be updated as confidence in the forecast grows.

Widespread gusts of 50–60mph are expected, with 60–70mph possible in exposed areas. Scotland could see the strongest winds, with a small chance of brief gusts reaching 80–90mph in the most exposed locations.

Wind peaks will vary as Storm Dave tracks across the north, with Northern Ireland likely seeing the highest gusts earlier on Saturday before the strongest winds spread east.

Heavy snow may also cause disruption in northern Scotland, with 5–10cm likely above 200m and up to 20cm in some areas, accompanied by blizzards and drifting.

A Yellow snow warning is in place from 15:00 Saturday to 03:00 Sunday for northwest Scotland.

How can drivers prepare for Storm Dave?

RAC spokesperson Rod Dennis said: “The arrival of Storm Dave is set to make driving conditions across the north and west of the UK this Easter particularly challenging.

"While we expect leisure traffic volumes to be slightly lower on Saturday and Sunday compared with the rest of the bank holiday, there will still be millions of people on the roads visiting friends and family.

"Drivers shouldn’t underestimate the impact of the very strong winds that are forecast.

"We recommend taking extra care on exposed, higher routes and being especially cautious when overtaking high‑sided vehicles, as the buffeting effect can catch some people out.

"Slowing down and keeping a firm grip on the steering wheel are both vital in these conditions.”

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Stormy McStormFace - what are some of the public's best suggestions for storm names?

The Met Office and its partners, Met Eireann and KNMI launched a scheme in 2015, where members of the public could suggest names for storms for the year ahead.

For the 2025/2026 season, over 50,000 suggestions were submitted - but only 21 names were selected.

They were: