Coastal engineer Dano Roelvink included on KNMI storm names list
Coastal engineer Dano Roelvink has been included on the new KNMI storm names list for the 2026-2027 season. His name now sits among the storms he spent forty years studying: how they form, how waves and sandy coasts respond, and how that knowledge can help protect coastal areas more effectively.
Roelvink retired this spring after a career at Deltares and IHE Delft, where he was a professor.
A fitting tribute
Dano's name was put forward earlier this year by people from several institutes in the Netherlands. They highlighted his major contribution to coastal research, particularly the development of globally leading models for storm surges, waves and the behaviour of sandy coasts.
His work centred on the concept of ‘living coasts’: an approach that prioritises the protection and resilience of dynamic, natural coastal systems.
For colleagues and fellow professionals, his inclusion on the storm names list underlines the lasting significance of his work.
Dano’s work has had a lasting influence on coastal research. His models are used worldwide to better understand how storms, waves and sandy coasts interact. It is a particularly fitting tribute that his name is now linked to a storm.
Dirk-Jan Walstra, Execurive Board Member Deltares
From coastal research to storm name
KNMI compiles the annual storm names list together with the UK Met Office and the Irish meteorological service Met Éireann. From all the names submitted, Dano was selected as the name for the fourth storm of the coming storm season because of his contribution to coastal research.
This means there is a strong chance that the Netherlands, Ireland or the United Kingdom will encounter Storm Dano this autumn or winter.
About storm names
Storms are named when the meteorological services of Ireland, the United Kingdom or the Netherlands issue a warning for very dangerous weather. Naming storms makes warnings more recognisable and helps bring information about approaching storms to people’s attention more effectively.