Two winter storms that struck the US last month are estimated to have caused combined economic losses of at least $US600 million ($767 million), Impact Forecasting says.

The blizzard that swept across the northeast, bringing record snowfalls, left a $US500 million ($640 million) bill, and that figure is expected to rise.

Damages from an earlier icy blast were estimated at more than $US100 million ($128 million), the Aon Benfield subsidiary says in its monthly global catastrophe report.

Parts of western Europe including Germany, the UK and Denmark suffered losses of “hundreds of millions of euros” when four windstorms struck in a week.

A series of tropical cyclones made landfall, including one in Madagascar that killed at least 68 people, destroyed nearly 4000 homes and left losses of $US36 million ($46 million).

Bushfires in southeast Australia destroyed more than 150 properties and left insurers with almost 1000 claims totalling $US26 million ($33 million) in January.