Insured losses from windstorms Eunice and Dudley which struck Europe in quick succession over three days earlier this month will likely come in at €3-4.5 billion ($4.67-to-7 billion), RMS estimates, pushed as much as 15% above modelled results by a sharp increase in the cost of construction last year.

Eunice, also known as Zeynep, is expected to contribute €2.5-3.5 billion ($3.89-to-5.45 billion), making it the most damaging European windstorm event since Kyrill in 2007.

“Windstorm Eunice will likely be the costliest European windstorm of the last 15 years,” RMA senior product manager for Europe Climate Models Michèle Lai said.

Dudley, also known as Ylenia, and Eunice “remind us how destructive these events can be and highlight the importance of storm clustering, the close succession of multiple storms following similar trajectories, in Europe,” Mr Lai said.

Losses in Germany will likely account for around 40% of the total, followed by the Netherlands at a fifth and the UK at 15%. The storms, which struck over three days from February 16, also affected Ireland, France, Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland, Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia.

Modelling firm Verisk Extreme Event Solutions, formerly AIR Worldwide, similarly estimated insured losses from the two windstorms at between €3-to-5 billion ($4.67-to-$7.79 billion), reflecting damage to residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural properties, and vehicles.

Verisk says the rapid succession of two or more low pressure systems within a short time frame is not an unusual event in Europe, with clustering events Daria, Vivian, Wiebke in 1990 and Anatol, Lothar, and Martin in 1999 the most prominent examples.

Storm clusters Elon and Felix or Mike and Niklas in 2015 and Draghi and Eberhard in 2019 also occurred within less than 72 hours and caused significant insured losses across Europe.

Eunice’s high winds led to widespread reports of wind damage to homes and businesses in the UK and continental Europe, including roofs torn off an arena in London and another in the Hague.