Winterstorm "Kyrill" over northern Europe

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Event date	17 - 19 January 2007
Affected areas	Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Switzerland, Slovakia, UK, Ukraine
Fatalities	47
Insured loss	EUR 4 bn

Event description

The low pressure system that gave rise to Winterstorm Kyrill formed on 15 January over Newfoundland. It made first landfall on 18 January in Ireland and the UK, before moving on to Continental Europe, where winds gusted up to 225 km/h – the highest reported since Winterstorm Lothar. Despite early warnings published throughout the media, the number of casualties was relatively high.

As a result of Winterstorm Kyrill, both public and private transportation was impaired, and a large number of flights were cancelled. Power outages also affected millions of people all over Europe and many businesses shut down.

Moreover, the strong winds were responsible for felling around 62 million trees.

United Kingdom and Ireland

In the United Kingdom and Ireland, Kyrill claimed twenty-one lives. There were widespread power outages and some major highways had to be closed. The cargo ship MSC Napoli, carrying 2 394 containers (of which 158 contained hazardous substances), had to be abandoned by the crew in the English Channel, when waves and wind became too strong. It later stranded off the Devon coast. Total losses in the UK and Ireland are not expected to exceed GBP 500 m.

Stranded 'MSC Napoli' off Cornwall

Germany

Across Germany, at least eleven people were killed. Uprooted trees caused many traffic accidents. Public transport was temporarily interrupted. For the first time ever in its history, the Deutsche Bahn shut down all its services and stranded passengers were accommodated in various railway stations. The new Berlin Central railway station had to be evacuated after two metal elements, each weighting two tons, were loosened by the gusts. One of these fell from a height of 40 metres. The German Insurance Association (GDI) estimates the insured losses resulting from this storm at EUR 1bn.

Destroyed facade of a storage building in Germany

France and The Netherlands

In France the northern and eastern regions were most severely affected. Two people died in traffic accidents that resulted from the storm and the Channel tunnel had to be closed for several hours.
Seven people were killed by the storm in the Netherlands. A crane collapsed and fell on the roof of Utrecht University. Amsterdam Central Station had to be closed, after parts of the roof came down.Railway traffic broke down completely. There was also an oil spill in the port of Rotterdam.

Switzerland, Austria, Poland and Ukraine

Switzerland and Austria were only slightly affected. The highest wind gusts for Kyrill (225km/h) were measured on the Aletsch glacier. The airline Swiss cancelled 106 flights, affecting about 6 000 passengers. In Poland, six people died in the storm, which cut off electricity to thousands of homes especially in the cities of Breslau, Legnica and Walbrzych. In the Ukraine, the flow of oil through the Druschba pipeline, which supplies Western Europe, was suspended due to power loss.

Weather experts have described Kyrill as a “once in a decade” event. It was unusual since it covered a very broad area with strong gales, affecting large parts of Germany as well as neighbouring countries at the same time.