PERILS, the Zurich-based catastrophe insurance data provider, has estimated that last month’s extratropical windstorm Goretti caused an insurance market loss of €467m (£408m). The storm affected southwestern England, northern France and Belgium between 8-9 January 2026.

The PERILS estimate of the insurance market loss, based on loss data collected from the affected insurers, covers the property and motor line of business. An updated estimate of the market loss from Windstorm Goretti will be made available on 9 April 2026, three months after the event end date.

Goretti was a multi-faceted European winter storm that generated record-breaking wind gusts, high waves, and a combination of rain, snow and ice. It was named Goretti by Météo France and Elli by the Free University of Berlin. Meteorologically, it was characterised by explosive cyclogenesis and an atmospheric phenomenon known as ‘sting jet’. The latter led to very high winds in a narrow corridor which affected Cornwall, the Channel Islands, and the Manche and Calvados departments in northwestern France. A record gust of 213 km/h was measured at the Gatteville lighthouse on the tip of the Cotentin Peninsula in the Manche department.

Luzi Hitz, product manager at PERILS, said: “Windstorm Goretti was the first European windstorm event of the 2025/26 season to exceed our capturing threshold of €300m for any one country or €500m for a Europewide event. Its high-wind field covered practically the entire English Channel and affected the bordering regions.

“Except for Cornwall and the Channel Islands, the UK was largely spared from its impact. Had the storm track been further north, it would have been a much more impactful event with much higher losses. France, however, was not as fortunate with damaging winds affecting practically the entire northern half of the country. This is why the vast majority of the Goretti losses – close to 75% – occurred in France. In comparison, Belgium was only marginally impacted.”

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