Extratropical cyclone Ciara (UK and Ireland), which also went by the names Sabine (Germany) and Elsa (Norway), brought about approximately €1.55 billion (around £1.42 billion) in insured property market losses, according to PERILS.
The independent Zurich-based catastrophe insurance data provider based the initial estimate on claims data collected from affected insurance companies. The February 2020 event hit the British Isles as well as Western and Central Europe.
PERILS stated: “The loss to the insurance industry from Sabine represents the largest loss from a European windstorm since Friederike (David) in January 2018. The majority of insurance claims were reported in Germany, followed by the Benelux countries, France, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Austria, and Denmark.
“Despite having been hit by very strong winds, the Republic of Ireland suffered comparably minor insurance losses, as was the case for Norway and Sweden. In total, extratropical cyclone Sabine resulted in the deaths of 14 people across Europe.”
An updated insured loss estimate will be released in May.
