The Cyprus, Greek and Israeli departments of meteorology have announced a list of names to be given to severe weather events during the 2026-2027 period, as part of the joint naming system they operate in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The new list includes 25 names of Greek, Cypriot and Israeli origin, which will be used in alphabetical order: Argos, Bar, Havrias, Dorothea, Eitan, Philippa, Glaukos, Hantar, Ikaros, Jason, Kendem, Laskarina, Morpheus, Nadia, Odysseus, Persephone, Roxane, Sisyphus, Tamar, Uranus, Vergina, Wasim, Xantheia, Hypnos and Zohar.
This collaboration between the three countries does not mean that the names apply exclusively to storms that will affect all three simultaneously. A weather system may be named when it is estimated that it will cause serious impacts in even one of these countries. However, as storms move and often affect more than one country, the name is retained throughout their path and may also be used by the authorities of neighbouring states.
Cyprus, Greece and Israel form the Eastern Mediterranean naming group. The geographical area they cover encompasses a large part of the route of barometric systems in the region, enabling better coordination of forecasts and warnings.
The aim of the naming scheme is to make it easier to recognise dangerous weather conditions, to avoid confusion and to enable the citizens and the authorities to take necessary measures in good time.