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Floods - Somalia, Ethiopia,
Kenya
Typhoon Durian - Philippines,
Vietnam
Ice storm/blizzard - United States,
Canada
Cold wave - United States
Winter storm - Europe
Tornado outbreak - United States
Floods - Mozambique
Other events
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Catastrophe Report 11
November 8th 2006 - March 5th 2007 - Bill McGuire |
Winter storm - Europe
| Territory: |
|
Europe |
| Region: |
|
UK, Germany, The Netherlands, France,
Belgium, central and eastern European states, Baltic states,
Ukraine, Russia |
| Date: |
|
17 – 19 January 2007 |
| Event: |
|
Winter storm |
| Impact: |
|
Kyrill was the most severe storm to affect Europe
for several years; causing more damage than Jeanette in 2002,
although wind speeds were less than those of the 1999 storms,
Lothar, Anatol and Martin. In the UK, Kyrill was the most damaging
storm since Daria in 1990. In total, the storm took at least
47 lives, led to more than two million homes losing power, disrupted
transport and caused major damage to buildings and forests.
Accompanying torrential rain led to major flood alerts in Poland
and the Dutch regions of Delfzijl & Harlingen were threatened
with tides 4.5 m above normal, and wholesale evacuation narrowly
avoided. In the English Channel, the container ship MSC Napoli,
shed its cargo, leading to pollution of nearby beaches and –
famously – to scavenging of washed-up containers by the
local population. Motorways were closed in the UK and Germany,
and air and rail links disrupted, in Germany partly as a consequence
of serious damage to Berlin’s Central Railway Station.
Insured losses range from €3 – 5 billion (Swiss Re;
RMS) to €3.25– 6.5 billion (EQECAT), to €4 –
8 billion (AIR). German losses have been estimated at around
€1 billion, with UK losses at a lower level. |
| Summary: |
|
Severe winter storm Kyrill had a particularly
broad ‘footprint’ and is estimated as a ‘once
in a decade’ event. It began life over Newfoundland on
15 January and strengthened as it crossed the North Atlantic
over the next two days. After deepening to the west of Ireland,
Kyrill reached the UK in the late hours of 17 January, bringing
destructive wind speeds gusting to 160 km h. After briefly weakening,
the storm re-intensified the following day, as it crossed the
Netherlands, and Denmark, and headed into northern Germany,
first bettering the states of Lower Saxony, Bremen, Hambourg,
Schleswig-Holstein and North Rhineland –Westphalia, before
affecting the entire country by nightfall. Wind speeds measured
in Germany reached 202 km h and the storm spawned several tornadoes
before heading east into the Baltic and eastern Europe. Wind
speeds in Poland achieved 212 km h, and in the Czech Republic
topped 200 km h. The strongest gust, of 225 km h, was measured
on the Aletsch Glacier in Switzerland. |
| Data sources: |
|
Swiss Re.
http://www.swissre.com/Internet/pwswpspr.nsf/fmBookMarkFrameSet?ReadForm&BM=../vwAllbyIDKeyLu/bmer-6xphsq?OpenDocument
Munich Re. http://www.munichre.com/
|
| Additional sources:
|
|
Insurance Journal.
http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/international/2007/01/19/76055.htm
|
| Image: |
|
Pylon brought down by winter storm Kyrill in
Germany. Source: Wikipedia.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Strommast.JPG
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