Insured losses from Winter Storm Kyrill will be more than $5 billion, a Boston-based catastrophe modeling firm announced.

AIR Worldwide on late Friday put its estimate of the two-day storm that struck Europe with hurricane-force winds at between 4 billion euros and 8 billion euros, or $5.2-to-$10.4 billion.

The storm caused significant travel and power disruptions, flooding, and building damage over a large part of Europe including the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands and Germany, AIR reported.

AIR said that insured loss estimate, using its Numerical Weather Prediction-based Extratropical Cyclone Model for Europe, includes insured losses from damaging wind to onshore properties only.

In a statement, Dr. Peter Dailey, director of Atmospheric Science for research and modeling at AIR, said, "Winter Storm Kyrill is the worst storm to hit Europe in eight years."

He added that Kyrill produced winds in many parts of Europe that were strong enough to cause moderate damage.

"What was most notable about this event was its unusually large foot print," he continued. "The path of damaging winds extends north to south from Scotland to Switzerland and east to west from France to eastern Germany and beyond."

Winter Storm Kyrill's winds were first felt on January 18. Severe gale force winds uprooted trees, tore off roof tiles and blew doors off buildings, while freight trucks in England and Germany were tipped over by wind gusts. Flying debris, including falling tree limbs and billboards, caused significant building damage throughout the affected countries, smashing windows and damaging walls.

The storm was reported to have killed 47 persons across Europe and left more than 1 million customers in Poland and the Czech Republic, as well as hundreds of thousands of people in the United Kingdom and Germany without power.

Claire Souch, director of model management in the London Office of Newark, Calif.-based Risk Management Solutions, said the storm was more damaging than windstorm Jeanette, which tore through Europe in 2000, leaving an insured loss of 1.5 billion Euros ($1.9 billion) in its wake.

She said Kyrill was the most damaging storm to hit Germany since Lothar in 1999, and for the UK the biggest storm hit since Daria in 1990.

Ms. Louch said it appears that most of the insured damage will be to homes and autos. The storm, she said, had wind gusts ranging from 70 mph to 85 mph. RMS is expected to produce a cost estimate tomorrow.

Special Reports /

Kyrill Insured Losses More Than $5 Billion: AIR

Related Stories

Recommended For You