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Report Date: 27 January, 2025
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- Fifth named storm by the UK Met Office of this season. It is also known as Gilles in Germany.
- Reached Ireland in the morning of Friday (24 January), travelling across the UK during the daytime hours.
- Strong winds were experienced across Ireland and the UK during Friday (24 January), with red wind warnings issued by Met Eireann in Ireland and the UK Met Office in central and southwestern Scotland and Northern Ireland. Amber warnings were in force for northern parts of England and Scotland, with additional yellow warnings in place.
- Gusts of over 70 mph have been recorded in Northern Ireland and over 80 mph in Ireland, with a peak wind gust of 114 mph at Mace Head, a record windspeed for Ireland.
- The storm was less severe than forecast for Ireland; gusts over populated areas were lower than expected.
- This event is estimated to have a wind-insured loss return period of around 1-in-7 years for Ireland and less than 1-in-5 years for the United Kingdom, and is the most severe storm for Ireland since Storm Tini (also known as Darwin) in 2014. There may be additional impacts from flooding.
- Another low-pressure system (Storm Herminia) brought windy weather to the UK on Sunday and into Monday but impacts from this are not expected to be significant.
Post-Event Report: European Windstorm Eowyn
Forecast and Reported Wind Speeds
Gusts over 70 mph were recorded inland, with gusts over 100 mph across exposed coastal areas. A peak wind gust of 114 mph was recorded at Mace Head on the west coast of Ireland, a record windspeed for Ireland.
![Figure 1: Post-event contoured wind fields provided by EuroTempest and based on zero-lead forecasts from the ECMWF model, peak gusts for Storm Eowyn and the period between 21:00 UTC 23 January 2025 and 03:00 UTC 25 January 2025 (in m/s).](/insights/2025/01/post-event-report-european-windstorm-eowyn/_jcr_content/root/container/container/image_704486683.coreimg.png/1738073421935/eurotempest-wind-fields.png)
![Figure 2: Post-event CRESTA resolution wind fields provided by EuroTempest and based on peak gusts calculated from weather station observations, for Storm Eowyn and the period between 21:00 UTC 23 January 2025 and 03:00 UTC 25 January 2025 (in m/s).](/insights/2025/01/post-event-report-european-windstorm-eowyn/_jcr_content/root/container/container/image_1045062136.coreimg.png/1738073395360/cresta-wind-fields.png)
For comparison, the footprint of Storm Zeynep-Eunice, which was the last significant event to impact the UK, is shown below. Both Storms Eunice and Eowyn produced strong gusts, but Storm Eunice’s strongest gusts were in southern parts of the United Kingdom and Ireland, while Storm Eowyn primarily affected northern parts of the UK and Ireland. As a result, Storm Eunice was more impactful for the UK than Storm Eowyn, while Storm Eowyn was more impactful for Ireland than Storm Eunice, in terms of wind insured loss.
![Figure 3: Post-event contoured wind fields provided by EuroTempest and based on zero-lead forecasts from the ECMWF model, peak gusts for Storm ZEYNEP-EUNICE and the period between 21:00 UTC 17 February 2022 and 18:00 UTC 19 February 2022 (in m/s).](/insights/2025/01/post-event-report-european-windstorm-eowyn/_jcr_content/root/container/container/image_1128009381.coreimg.png/1738073586899/contoured-wind-fields.png)
Insured Loss Estimates
Market Loss Estimates
As of 26 January, 2025, the below number of wind claims and losses for the PERILS market exposure portfolio were estimated by Guy Carpenter, based on:
- EuroTempest wind fields at CRESTA resolution for Storm GILLES-EOWYN, for the period between 21:00 UTC 23 January, 2025 and 03:00 UTC 25 January, 2025.
- Guy Carpenter damage curves by country and line of business and average claim values, derived using PERILS industry loss and exposure data.
- PERILS Property Industry Exposure as at 1 January, 2024.
![Table 1: Wind insured industry loss estimates.](/insights/2025/01/post-event-report-european-windstorm-eowyn/_jcr_content/root/container/container/image_1745438881.coreimg.jpeg/1738073885188/table-1-loss-estimates.jpeg)
Estimates include only damage to buildings and property from wind. The following are not included in the estimates:
- Countries that are not part of the PERILS industry exposure are not included. The countries included are: Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, UK.
- Storm surge or flood impacts are not included.
- The lines of business explicitly modelled are residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural, to the extent that these are included in the exposure data. For other lines of business (e.g. forestry and motor), they are modelled using generic parameters applicable to all lines combined. For the market losses based on PERILS exposure, residential and commercial are included; industrial is included for: Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, France, Netherlands; agricultural is included for: Belgium, Switzerland, Denmark, France, Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.
- Any portfolio specific reinsurance terms such as deductibles, limits, catastrophe excess of loss, etc., are not included.
- Post loss amplification (PLA) or claims inflation are not explicitly included.
- Economic loss (in addition to insured loss) is not included.
![Figure 4: Loss estimate for Storm Eowyn compared to other events (indexed to 2024) for the United Kingdom.](/insights/2025/01/post-event-report-european-windstorm-eowyn/_jcr_content/root/container/container/image_952542033.coreimg.jpeg/1738600472442/figure-4-uk-eowyn-loss.jpeg)
![Figure 5: Loss estimate for Storm Eowyn compared to other events (indexed to 2024) for Ireland.](/insights/2025/01/post-event-report-european-windstorm-eowyn/_jcr_content/root/container/container/image_2003806009.coreimg.png/1738600519928/figure-5-ireland-eowyn-loss.png)
Based on analysis against the Moody’s RMS HD Europe Windstorm and Verisk Europe Extra-Tropical Cyclone models, the Storm Eowyn industry loss is estimated to have a return period of less than 1 in-5 years for the United Kingdom (less severe than Storms Dudley-Eunice-Franklin and Kyrill) and less than 1-in-10 years for Ireland. This is the most severe storm to impact Ireland since Storm Tini (also known as Darwin) in 2014 from a wind insured loss perspective.
PERILS Wind-Jeannie also provide forecasts of loss estimates at a market level. These are issued every 12 hours and are always 72 hour forward looking forecasts. Depending on the time of issue, these reports may include all or part of the storm, and additional storms if they occur within the same 72-hour window. Wind-Jeannie 72-hour estimated loss forecasts issued during the period 22-23 January 2025 ranged from approximately EUR 362-995 million for Europe (of which GBP 116-451 million is for UK and EUR 198-451 million for Ireland).
Regional Impacts
Ireland
Met Éireann, the Irish national meteorological service, issued Status Red wind warnings for Ireland on Friday morning. Wind speeds of 114 mph were recorded at Mace Head in County Galway. This is the strongest wind speed recorded in Ireland, exceeding the previous record set during Hurricane Debbie in 1961.[i] High winds were the main contributor to damage from the storm, though there was also some coastal flooding reported in Galway.
There was significant damage to the electricity network. Power outages were reported across the country, with the Electricity Supply Board reporting 768,000 homes, farms and businesses without power on Friday, and hundreds of thousands remaining without power through the weekend.[ii]
Across the country, there have been reports of damage to cars and buildings, including severe structural damage to some homes, with at least 2 houses in Kerry being abandoned during the storm due to roof damage. There was significant damage to the perimeter wall of Longford Town FC’s stadium, an ice-skating rink in Dublin collapsed, and the inflatable roof of the Connacht GAA Air Dome near Ballyhaunis, County Mayo, was heavily damaged.[iii] A fatality was also reported after a tree fell on a car in County Donegal.[iv]
UK
The UK Met Office issued Red wind warnings for Northern Ireland, central and southwestern areas of Scotland and the Isle of Man on Friday. This is the first Red warning issued for Northern Ireland since the Met Office moved to impact-based warnings in 2011. Amber and yellow warnings were also in place for the rest of Scotland, much of northern England and northern and western Wales. The strongest recorded gust in the UK was 100 mph in Drumalbin, Scotland. Gusts of 96mph were recorded in Brizlee Wood, Northumberland, and 93 mph in Gwynedd, northern Wales. In Northern Ireland, the strongest wind gusts since 1998 were recorded at Killowen, with speeds of 92mph.[v]
A second fatality was reported in East Ayrshire after a tree fell on a car.[vi] Electricity providers reported that 283,000 customers in Northern Ireland were without power on Friday afternoon,[vii] with 255,000 homes and businesses without power across central and southern Scotland, Wales and northern England.[viii] There was also severe transport disruption, with no trains running in Northern Ireland[ix] or Scotland on Friday. ScotRail said work was continuing to repair its network after reporting “extensive damage.” Network Rail Scotland also reported around 400 incidents on its tracks, including downed trees and damaged overhead lines. Edinburgh Airport cancelled all flights until 17:00 on Friday, and cancellations and delays affected other UK airports.[x] Additionally, all schools in Northern Ireland were advised to close on Friday.
In Northern Ireland, there have been reports of significant damage to some buildings and more than 2,300 incidents of fallen trees, branches and other debris blocking roads.[xi] A leisure centre roof in County Down was severely damaged for the second time, with previous damage in late 2021 during Storm Arwen. Over 100 schools have reported damage to their property, ranging from minor damage to fences and missing roof tiles to more significant structural damage.[xii] In Glasgow, there was damage to the Celtic Stadium roof, leading to the postponement of a match scheduled for Saturday. In Nantwich, Cheshire, there were reports of the roof of a factory being blown off onto a road.[xiii]
Additional wind and rain on Sunday and Monday is expected to hamper recovery efforts and has the potential to cause further flooding as rain falls on already saturated ground.
Physical Discussion
On Thursday, January 23, Storm Eowyn, an extratropical cyclone, underwent explosive cyclogenesis as it neared the UK. This phenomenon occurs when the central pressure drops by at least 24 millibars within 24 hours. In the case of Storm Eowyn, the pressure plummeted 50 millibars over 24 hours, creating a steep pressure gradient that created exceptionally strong winds.
Extreme cold weather and snow in the United States (US), particularly in the east and Gulf coast of the US, associated with a plunge of Arctic air, created a strong north-south temperature gradient which strengthened the jet stream and created conditions conducive to the development of Storm Eowyn.
The storm centre quickly tracked northeast on Friday, January 24, passing just north of Northern Ireland and brushing against northwest Scotland before clearing the northern Shetland Islands late Friday evening.
The strongest winds were initially felt across Ireland and southwest England early Friday morning, with conditions rapidly spreading northeast across the rest of the UK throughout the morning. A red weather warning was issued for Ireland as extreme winds impacted the country, particularly along the western coastal areas, where gusts exceeded 100 mph. The exceptionally strong and localised winds in these areas are believed to have been caused by a sting jet—a narrow column of powerful winds descending from the mid-troposphere to the surface. However, gusts in more populated regions of Ireland were weaker than initially forecast, as the storm's track shifted further north than expected.
In the UK, the most intense winds were recorded in Northern Ireland and the southwestern and central regions of Scotland, occurring from late morning until early afternoon on Friday. The Met Office issued a red wind warning for these areas. As Storm Eowyn weakened and moved northeast, Saturday, January 25 remained windy, but the strongest winds were confined to eastern Scotland.
On Sunday, January 26, another area of low pressure (Storm Herminia) moved across the UK, bringing further strong winds that continued into the following week. However, these winds primarily affected the southern and western parts of the UK and were less intense and impactful than those experienced on Friday.
![Figure 6: Surface pressure chart, for Friday, 24 January 00:00 UTC](/insights/2025/01/post-event-report-european-windstorm-eowyn/_jcr_content/root/container/container/image_1135313095.coreimg.png/1738598680272/figure-8-surface-pressure-chart.png)
Peak Meteorological Statistics
Observed Wind Gusts
The following table displays a selection of observed wind gusts due to Storm Eowyn at several weather stations across Europe.
![Table 3: Observed wind gusts during Windstorm Eowyn](/insights/2025/01/post-event-report-european-windstorm-eowyn/_jcr_content/root/container/container/image_467227229.coreimg.jpeg/1738598745339/table-3-eowyn-wind-gusts.jpeg)
Post-Event Report: European Windstorm Eowyn
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Footnotes
[i] Met Éireann
[ii] ESB Networks
[iii] The Irish Times
[iv] The Times
[v] Met Office
[vi] BBC News
[vii] Northern Ireland Electricity Networks
[viii] SP Energy Networks and Northern PowerGrid
[ix] Translink
[x] The Scotsman
[xi] Department for Infrastructure
[xii] Northern Ireland Department of Education
[xiii] BBC News