PERILS disclosed an initial industry loss estimate of €467 mn for extratropical windstorm Goretti, referred to as Elli in Germany. The storm struck southwestern England, northern France and Belgium between 8 and 9 January 2026.
The estimate draws on loss data collected directly from affected insurers. In line with PERILS’ European coverage definition, the figure reflects property and motor lines only.
The group plans to release an updated market loss on 9 April 2026, three months after the event’s end date.
Goretti developed into a winter system with explosive cyclogenesis and a sting jet, a narrow corridor of intense winds capable of producing concentrated damage.
Wind fields stretched across much of the English Channel. Cornwall, the Channel Islands, and the Manche and Calvados departments in northwestern France absorbed the brunt.
Storm Goretti, known as Storm Elli in Germany, was an extremely powerful and destructive extratropical cyclone which impacted parts of Western Europe.
The seventh named (using the south-western group naming list) storm of the 2025-2026 European windstorm season, Goretti was named by Météo France on 6 January 2026.
The storm was expected to bring extreme wind gusts, potentially reaching near 160 km/h (100 mph) to western Cornwall and the Scilly Isles, upwards of 180 km/h (110 mph) to the Channel Islands, and strong gusts to northern France.
A peak gust of 213 km/h was recorded at the Gatteville lighthouse on the Cotentin Peninsula in Manche.
According to Beinsure analysts, localized wind intensities of this scale tend to drive claims volatility even when aggregate losses remain within seasonal norms.
From a Europewide view, a €467 mn windstorm loss sits within the range insurers record each year. Still, Goretti stands as the largest European windstorm loss of the 2025/26 season so far.
It crossed PERILS’ capture threshold of €300 mn for a single country or €500 mn at the continental level.
Luzi Hitz, Product Manager at PERILS, said the UK avoided heavier losses because the storm track stayed south. Apart from Cornwall and the Channel Islands, most of the country experienced limited impact. A northward shift would have altered the loss profile, sharply.
France carried close to 75% of total losses as damaging winds swept across much of its northern half. Belgium reported marginal impact by comparison.
We think the geographic concentration explains the skew in claims distribution more than exposure growth alone.
PERILS operates from Zurich and provides industrywide catastrophe exposure and event loss data through subscription products.
PERILS CORE offers industry sums insured and event loss information at CRESTA zone level across 18 countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan and Canada. Industry exposure data also extend to Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand.
