PERILS reduces Windstorm Goretti insured market loss estimate to €468m

Catastrophe data aggregator PERILS has updated its estimate of insurance industry losses for extratropical windstorm Goretti, also known as Elli, that affected southwestern England, northern France and Belgium in early January, slightly lowering the total to EUR 468 million.

PERILS published its initial industry loss estimate for the windstorm in mid-February, six weeks after the event end date, putting the total at EUR 467 million.

The company then published its second industry loss estimate in April, three months after the event end date, lifting the total to EUR 479 million.

Now in its third insurance industry loss estimate for this event, PERILS has slightly decreased the total to EUR 468 million.

PERILS explained that its loss estimate is based on data gathered from impacted insurers, including losses from property and motor hull lines of business.

The company also noted that for the first time, the industry loss footprint includes motor loss data at CRESTA-zone level for a European windstorm event.

“While motor losses account for 8% of total losses in Belgium, the share is lower in other affected countries, at 5% in France and only 1% in the UK. Despite these differences, a clear correlation between wind speed and loss severity is visible in both France and Belgium,” PERILS said.

Windstorm Goretti was an intense extratropical cyclone that produced high winds across the English Channel and adjacent coastal regions.

The areas that were mostly affected by the windstorm were Cornwall in southwest England and the French departments of Manche, Calvados, and Seine-Maritime. Belgium experienced comparatively limited impacts.

PERILS has confirmed that an updated estimate of the insurance market loss from Windstorm Goretti will be published on January 9th, 2027, twelve months after the event end date.

Christoph Oehy, CEO of PERILS, commented: “Goretti represents the second-largest European windstorm loss event of the 2025/26 season, surpassed only by Windstorm Nils, which occurred one month later. Earlier in the season, two additional storms struck Europe in October 2025. However, neither exceeded the PERILS reporting threshold. With insured losses of EUR 468 million, Goretti was not exceptional from a European market perspective as Windstorm losses of a similar magnitude typically occur every one to two years.”

Oehy added: “The inclusion of motor loss data for European windstorms is an important enhancement to the PERILS database. This is particularly valuable in the context of severe convective storms, where motor losses resulting from hail damage can account for a significant proportion of total insured losses.”