Heavy snow, strong winds and widespread disruption have hit parts of the UK over the last couple of days as Storm Goretti moves across the country. Large parts of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England have been affected, with some areas seeing deep snow, dangerous travel conditions and warnings of further severe weather.
Yellow weather alerts have been in place for much of the country, with more serious warnings issued where snowfall has been heaviest. On Tuesday, conditions became difficult in parts of northern Scotland, where temperatures stayed below freezing. Aberdeenshire Council declared a major incident and warned that some rural communities faced a serious risk of being cut off. Villagers in Insch described the situation as one of the worst they had seen in years, saying almost a foot of snow had fallen.
By Wednesday, the severe weather had caused the closure of more than 440 schools across several councils, amounting to 18% of the national school estate.
Many schools in Aberdeenshire, Moray, Orkney and the Highlands remained shut for a fourth day as snow and ice made travel difficult.
Forecasts show that large parts of the UK will continue to see wintry conditions on Thursday too, with snow expected to build up across central Wales, the Midlands and northern England.
Up to 30cm of snow is possible in the worst-hit areas, according to the Met Office.
Forecasters have also warned that drivers could become stranded and that rail and air travel may face cancellations.
Power cuts and disruption to mobile phone networks are also likely where the snow is deepest.
A separate warning has been issued for Cornwall, where winds could reach up to 90mph and “flying debris is likely”, posing a risk to life.
The strongest winds linked to this storm are expected to hit the Channel Islands and northern France. That’s why Storm Goretti was named by Météo-France.
But how does the naming system actually work? And why do storms need names at all?
Storms are named to make it easier for the public to understand the risks of severe weather.
In Europe, several meteorological groups work together. The UK Met Office, Met Éireann in Ireland and KNMI in the Netherlands form the western storm-naming group.
Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium and Luxembourg make up the south-western group, while Denmark, Norway and Sweden form the northern group.
If a storm is named by one of these agencies, the others use the same name.
A storm will only be named when it has the potential to cause significant disruption or damage and is likely to lead to at least an amber warning.
The Met Office says that using a single name helps deliver a clearer message to the public and emergency services, improving safety and awareness.
Since 2015, people in the UK have been able to submit name suggestions. Thousands are received every year, and the final list runs from early September until the end of August the following year.
Five letters – Q, U, Y, X and Z – are not used to stay in line with US naming conventions.
The current storm season began in September 2025, and Amy was the first name used after the storm hit in October.
Benjamin followed but mainly affected France, while Claudia was named by Spain’s AEMET. The Met Office then named Storm Bram in December.
The remaining names for the 2025/26 season are:
- Chandra
- Dave
- Eddie
- Fionnuala
- Gerard
- Hannah
- Isla
- Janna
- Kasia
- Lilith
- Marty
- Nico
- Oscar
- Patrick
- Ruby
- Stevie
- Tadhg
- Violet
- Wubbo
The Met Office considers several factors when choosing names, including pronunciation, cultural meaning and whether a name could cause confusion or controversy.
Names linked to companies are never used, and popularity does not influence the final list.
For all the latest on Storm Goretti, click here.