PERILS, a Zurich-based catastrophe insurance data provider, has disclosed an increased second industry loss estimate for extratropical windstorm “Nils”, also known as “Ulrike”, to €767 million.
This is a 31% increase from the initial loss estimate of €586 million, issued by PERILS on March 27th, 2026, six weeks after the event end date.
The firm explained that these market loss estimates cover the property and motor lines of business and are based on loss data collected from affected insurers.
The extratropical windstorm affected the Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Occitanie regions in southwest France from 11th to 13th February 2026. The event was described as an intense extratropical cyclone, which brought extreme winds and flooding to the Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Occitanie regions.
To recap, Nils generated the largest event loss of the 2025/2026 European windstorm season, with wind losses causing the majority of the industry loss, as it peaked on February 12th, 2026. During this time, the storm had a significant impact on infrastructure and physical assets.
At its peak, approximately 900,000 households were left without electricity, and transport came to a virtual standstill, while extreme winds damaged thousands of houses, roofs, and light-weight structures. For southwestern France, Nils was the most impactful storm since Klaus in January 2009.
In accordance with the PERILS reporting schedule, an updated estimate of the market loss for Windstorm Nils in the form of a loss footprint by CRESTA zone and lines of business will be published on August 13th, 2026, six months after the event end date.
Luzi Hitz, Product Manager at PERILS, commented, “Storm Nils was a multi-hazard natural catastrophe which not only brought damaging winds and flooding to southwest France but also caused avalanches in the French Alps. While it challenged the civil protection services, the fact that there were only two fatalities demonstrates the effectiveness of their response.
“The European windstorm season 2025/26 witnessed only two events exceeding our loss-capturing threshold of €300 million for any one country or €500 million for a Europe-wide event. Those were Goretti in January 2026, currently estimated at €479 million, and Nils in February, currently estimated at €767 million. As such, this season is the second consecutive season with notably low European windstorm losses.”
