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European cyclone losses may pass $2 billion

Insured losses from Cyclone Xaver in Europe will range from €700 million to €1.4 billion ($1.07 billion to $2.15 billion), according to catastrophe modeller AIR Worldwide.

Wind speeds from the December 5 storm matched those of a Category 1 hurricane, with most losses in Denmark, Germany and the UK. The storm also hit the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden and Norway.

“Xavier is the second severe storm of the European winter storm season,” AIR Senior Principal Scientist Gerhard Zuba said. It follows Windstorm Christian in late October.