PERILS, the Zurich-based catastrophe insurance data provider, has released its third industry loss estimate for Windstorm Goretti, also known as Elli, which affected southwest England, northern France and Belgium on 8 and 9 January 2026, placing the loss at €468 million.
Windstorm Goretti was an intense extratropical cyclone that generated high winds across the English Channel and adjacent coastal regions.
Cornwall in southwest England and the French departments of Manche, Calvados and Seine-Maritime were the most affected areas. Belgium experienced comparatively limited impacts.
The loss estimate of €468 million is lower than its second industry loss estimate of €479 million, released in April 2026, three months after the event end date, and broadly unchanged from its initial loss estimate of €467 million released six weeks after the event.
The estimate covers property and motor lines of business and is based on loss data collected from affected insurers.
For the first time, the industry loss footprint includes motor loss data at the CRESTA-zone level for a European windstorm event.
Motor losses accounted for 8% of total losses in Belgium, whereas the share was lower in other affected countries, accounting for 5% in France and only 1% in the UK. Nonetheless, a clear correlation between wind speed and loss severity can be observed in both France and Belgium.
PERILS said a fourth update of the market loss from Windstorm Goretti will be provided on 9 January 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.
“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.”
