Storm Sabine, which ravaged across Germany earlier this month, caused 675 million euros worth of damage in Germany, making it the sixth costliest storm for Germany since 2002.

Winter storm tears across Germany

Storm Sabine, or Storm Ciara as it was named by the UK Met Office, was a powerful extratropical cyclone that affected the US and Canada, the UK and parts of mainland Europe. The storm was characterised by extreme weather; strong windspeeds and flooding.

The storm caused 675 million euros worth of damage in Germany, according to the German Insurance Association (GDV). The GDV announced that insurance companies would pay out 600 million euros, in around 500.000 cases, for damages to “buildings, belongings and commercial and industrial businesses.” An extra 75 million euros will be paid out for damages to around 40.000 cars and other vehicles.

The storm reached Germany on February 9, with the country hit the hardest on February 10 and 11, as the extreme weather caused severe travel delays and flight cancellations in several cities in Germany. Deutsche Bahn was forced to suspend long-distance train travel and at least three people were badly injured. Sadly, one person in Lower Saxony died.

Most expensive storms since 2002

The total of 675 million euros is enough to rank as the sixth most expensive storm since 2002. Hurricane Kyrill, which hit Germany in 2007, cost insurers around 3 billion euros worth of damage. Storm Jeanette in 2002 and Storm Friederike in 2018 round off the top three most expensive storms, racking up damage worth 1,3 and 1 billion euros, respectively.