From 24 to 28 August, severe convective storm (SCS) outbreaks caused extensive damage across multiple European countries, with the most severe weather occurring between 27 and 28 August and industry losses anticipated to approach EUR 2.5 billion, according to global reinsurance broking and advisory firm Gallagher Re.
Between 24 and 26 August, a low-pressure system named Quiria generated instances of large hail, damaging winds and tornadoes in western France and surrounding regions.
Following this, another low, named Raphaela by the Free University of Berlin, brought highly impactful severe weather to regions of France, Switzerland and Italy between 27 and 28 August, with losses driven by large hail.
Gallagher Re reported that storms were primarily triggered in a warm, humid and unstable airmass ahead of a cold frontal boundary that swept across the region. The volatile environment was further enhanced by exceptionally strong wind shear.
Long-lived discrete storms (supercells) and linear complexes of severe storms generated hundreds of reports of large hail, alongside damaging straight-line winds that resulted in costly impacts to residential and commercial properties, automobiles, agribusiness and solar installations. This included a particularly high-impact and long-lived supercell that tracked across northern Switzerland during the morning of 28 August.
Data collected by the European Severe Weather Database (ESWD) indicated that more than 580 instances of damaging hail were reported in France, Switzerland and Italy during the two-day period.
The SCS activity was focused in eastern France on 27 August before moving towards Switzerland and northern Italy on 28 August.
In Italy, hail measuring 13 cm (5.1 in) in diameter affected localities in Emilia-Romagna. This ranked among Emilia-Romagna’s largest recorded hailstones. Hail up to 15 cm (5.9 in) was likewise observed locally in Lombardy. The largest hail in France approached 9 cm (3.5 in), while hail reaching 7 cm (2.7 in) was measured in Switzerland.
Of Gallagher Re’s estimated industry losses of nearly EUR 2.5 billion, the firm expects EUR 0.75–1.25 billion to come from Switzerland, around EUR 0.5–1 billion from Italy and EUR 0.5–0.75 billion from France. The overall direct economic toll will be even larger.
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