The Burns' Day Storm was an extremely violent windstorm that took place on 25–26 January 1990 over North-Western Europe. It is one of the strongest European windstorms on record and caused many fatalities in the UK and Europe. This storm has received different names, as there was no official list of such events in Europe at the time. Starting on Burns Day, the birthday of the Scottish poet Robert Burns, it caused widespread damage and hurricane-force winds over a wide area.
Cyclone Lothar is regarded as the worst European windstorm recorded during the 20th century. Crossing France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany between 25 December and 27 December 1999, Cyclone Lothar resulted in 110 fatalities and more than €15 billion in damage, becoming the costliest European windstorm ever recorded.
Cyclone Emma was an extratropical cyclone that passed through several mainly Central European countries, on Saturday 1 March 2008, killing at least twelve people in Austria, Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic. Wind speeds reached up to 155–180 km/h (96–112 mph) in Austria and the Czech Republic. Major infrastructure disruptions and some injuries were also reported in Belgium, France, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.
Severe Tropical Cyclone Oli marked the first occurrence of a severe tropical cyclone within the South Pacific basin since Cyclone Gene in 2008. The cyclone formed out of a tropical disturbance on 29 January 2010 and was designated as Tropical Cyclone 12P on 1 February. After passing through the northern Cook Islands, it turned southeast through French Polynesia, causing severe damage in the Austral Islands. At least one person was killed by large swells produced by the storm on the island of Tubuai. The storm caused at least US$70 million worth of damage.
Cyclone Xynthia was an exceptionally violent European windstorm which crossed Western Europe between 27 February and 1 March 2010. It reached a minimum pressure of 967 mb (28.6 inHg) on 27 February. In France—where it was described by the civil defence as the most violent since Lothar and Martin in December 1999—at least 51 people were killed, with 12 more said to be missing. A further six people were killed in Germany, three in Spain, one in Portugal, one in Belgium and another one in England. Most of the deaths in France occurred when a powerful storm surge topped by battering waves up to 7.5 m (25 ft) high, hitting at high tide, smashed through the sea wall off the coastal town of L'Aiguillon-sur-Mer. A mobile home park built close to the sea wall was particularly hard-hit. The sea wall was about two hundred years old, built in the time of Napoleon; critics said that situating a mobile home park so close to the sea wall showed poor coastal development practices. The storm cut power to over a million homes in France and a million customers in Portugal lost power.
Cyclone Martin was an extremely violent European windstorm which crossed southern Europe on 27–28 December 1999, causing severe damage across France, Spain, Switzerland and Italy one day after Cyclone Lothar had affected more northerly areas. Wind speeds reached around 200 km/h (120 mph) in French department of Charente-Maritime. The storm caused 30 fatalities and €6 billion in damages. Combined with Lothar, Cyclone Martin is often referred to as the Storm of the Century in western and central Europe.
Tropical Storm Emily was a weak Atlantic tropical cyclone that brought torrential rains to much of the northern Caribbean in 2011. The fifth named storm of the annual hurricane season, Emily developed from a strong but poorly organized tropical wave that traversed the open Atlantic over the last week July. On August 1, it approached the Lesser Antilles and became more consolidated, producing inclement weather over many of the northern islands. Two days later, the disturbance’s wind flow became more cyclonic with a defined center of circulation, which marked the formation of Tropical Storm Emily. The storm remained fairly irregular in structure, though generating strong thunderstorms and gusty winds along its path over the Caribbean Sea. On August 4, Emily was declassified as a tropical cyclone after the mountainous areas of Hispaniola further disrupted its diffuse circulation. Upon exiting the northeastern Caribbean on August 6, its remnants briefly regenerated into a tropical storm before dissipating completely the next day.
Cyclone Oratia, was an unusually deep European windstorm which affected Western Europe from 28 to 30 October 2000. The storm was the fiercest to hit Britain in October since the Great Storm of 1987, with wind gusts reaching 109 mph (175 km/h), and gusting at up to 70 mph (110 km/h) over much of the south of England. Its barometric pressure fell to 941 hPa (27.8 inHg), over the North Sea making it one of the deepest lows recorded in the country in October. The lowest land-based pressure observation reached 951.2 hPa (28.09 inHg) at RAF Fylingdales. The storm contributed to the Autumn 2000 western Europe floods.
Tropical Storm Rolf, also known as Tropical Storm 01M, was an unusual Mediterranean tropical storm that brought flooding to Italy, France, Spain, and Switzerland in November 2011. Rolf originated from an extratropical system near western France on 4 November. Despite the generally unfavorable conditions in the Mediterranean Sea, Rolf transitioned into a subtropical depression on 7 November, before becoming a tropical storm later that day. On 8 November, Rolf reached its peak intensity, with 1-minute sustained winds peaking at 85 km/h (53 mph) and a minimum central pressure of 991 mb (29.3 inHg). During the next day, the storm made landfall on the island of Île du Levant, in France, and soon afterward, near Hyères in southeastern France. Following its second landfall, Rolf quickly weakened and dissipated on 10 November. Rolf was the first tropical cyclone ever to be officially monitored by the NOAA in the Mediterranean Sea.
Cyclone Dirk was a large and deep European windstorm that affected Western Europe from the Iberian Peninsula to Iceland from 22 December 2013.
In early July 2005, Hurricane Dennis brushed the southern coast of Haiti and produced deadly flash flooding across the nation. Forming from a tropical depression on July 4, Dennis began impacting Haiti two days later with heavy rains. Civil authorities and international agencies acted quickly to protect lives, ordering evacuations—approximately 1,000 people complied—and prepositioning emergency supplies. Over the subsequent two days, the hurricane's outer bands continued to impact the nation before effects abated. Widespread flash floods and landslides caused substantial damage, with areas along the Tiburon Peninsula taking the brunt of the impact. A bridge collapse near Grand-Goâve left 15 people dead or missing.
The 2017–18 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season was a below-average season that produced only 8 tropical storms, of which 6 became tropical cyclones. It was an event in the annual cycle of a tropical cyclone and subtropical cyclone formation. It officially began on 15 November 2017, and officially ended on 15 May 2018, in Mauritius and the Seychelles. For the rest of the basin, the season ended on 30 April 2018. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical and subtropical cyclones form in the basin, which is west of 90°E and south of the Equator. Tropical and subtropical cyclones in this basin are monitored by the Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre in La Réunion.
Intense Tropical Cyclone Berguitta was a strong tropical cyclone that caused flooding in Mauritius and Réunion in January 2018. The third tropical system and first intense tropical cyclone of the 2017–18 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season, Berguitta originated from an area of scattered thunderstorms southwest of the Chagos Archipelago on 10 January. It slowly organised as it moved southwards, and became a tropical storm as it turned west on 13 January. Berguitta then rapidly intensified to achieve its peak intensity on 15 January while stalling north of Rodrigues. At the time, the cyclone possessed 10-minute sustained winds of 165 km/h (105 mph), 1-minute sustained winds of 195 km/h (120 mph), and a minimum central pressure of 960 hPa (28.35 inHg). Berguitta weakened as it moved slowly west-southwestwards on 16 January, and the cyclone degraded to a tropical storm by 17 January. It accelerated southwestwards over Mauritius and Réunion on 18 January, before degenerating to a post-tropical cyclone the next day. The remnants of Berguitta transitioned into an extratropical cyclone and dissipated over the Indian Ocean on 24 January.
The 2019–20 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season was a slightly above-average season in tropical cyclone and subtropical cyclone formation west of 90°E. The season officially began on 15 November, however, the formation of the first system—Zone of Disturbed Weather 01—occurred on 22 July 2019, well before the official start of the season. This was the earliest start to a season since the 2016–17 season. The season then officially ended on 30 April 2020, with the exception of Mauritius and the Seychelles, for which it officially ended on 15 May 2020. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical and subtropical cyclones form in the basin, which is west of 90°E and south of the Equator. Tropical and subtropical cyclones in this basin are monitored by the Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre in Réunion.
Storm Gloria was a Mediterranean storm which affected eastern Spain and southernmost France with high winds and heavy rainfall. The system was named Gloria by the Spanish meteorological agency AEMET on 18 January, becoming the tenth named storm of the 2019–20 European windstorm season. The Free University of Berlin named the system Ilka.
Tropical Cyclone Fakir was a short-lived yet damaging tropical cyclone that affected Réunion and Mauritius in late April 2018. The eighth tropical system and seventh named storm of the 2017–18 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season, Fakir originated from an area of disturbed weather that developed north-northeast of Madagascar on 20 April 2018. The system concentrated into a tropical depression by 23 April, and was given the name Fakir later that day. It rapidly intensified while moving quickly south-southeastwards despite the presence of hostile wind shear, and reached its peak intensity early on 24 April, hours before passing just east of Réunion. Fakir succumbed to the wind shear shortly after and weakened as quickly as it had strengthened, becoming a post-tropical cyclone on 25 April. The remnant system decelerated and turned east-northeast while continuing to weaken, and dissipated the next day.
The 2021–22 European windstorm season was the seventh instance of seasonal European windstorm naming in Europe. This was the third season in which the Netherlands participated, alongside the meteorological agencies of Ireland and the United Kingdom. The season's storm names were released on 1 September 2021. Storms that occurred up until 31 August 2022 were included in this season. The Portuguese, Spanish, French and Belgian meteorological agencies collaborated again, for the fifth time, joined by the Luxembourg meteorological agency. This was the first season when Greece, Israel and Cyprus, and Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Malta named storms which affected their areas.
Storm Aurore was a notably early extratropical cyclone in late October 2021 that impacted several areas of Europe, causing substantial damages. The third named storm of the 2021–22 European windstorm season, Aurore was first noted on 20 October by Meteo France over the Atlantic Ocean, south of Ireland. As the system moved over central Europe on the next day, it subsequently merged with another extratropical cyclone named Hendrik before moving across central Europe, in which it brought several destruction across the region. It then was last noted on 23 October.
Storm Ciarán, known in Germany as Storm Emir was a European windstorm that severely affected parts of Europe from late October to early November 2023. Part of the 2023–24 European windstorm season, Ciarán impacted northwestern Europe and killed 21 people, eleven of whom were in Italy and four in France. It also caused mass disruption to transport. Widespread damage from 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) winds were reported in the Channel Islands, while 1.2 million French households were left without electricity.
The storm Lothar, named by European meteorologists, is a winter synoptic storm with an explosive character that hit Western Europe, the first of two storms at the end of December 1999 in Europe. Its average winds reached up to 115 km/h inland (Orly), but with gusts exceeding 150 km/h, almost equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane, devastated northern France, Switzerland, and Germany on December 26, 1999. It caused significant damage, especially to forests, with gusts reaching 180 km/h in the plains at Saint-Sylvain and up to 259 km/h and 272 km/h at altitude according to sources.
