European windstorm is a name given to the strongest Extratropical cyclones. They form as cyclonic windstorms associated with areas of low atmospheric pressure that track across the North Atlantic Ocean towards western Europe. They are most common in the winter months. On average, the month when most windstorms form is January. The seasonal average is 4.6 windstorms. Deep low pressure areas are relatively common over the North Atlantic, sometimes starting as nor'easters off the New England coast, and frequently track past the north coasts of the British Isles and into the Norwegian Sea. However, when they veer south they can affect almost any country in Europe. Commonly affected countries include the United Kingdom, Ireland, Norway, the Faroe Islands and Iceland, but any country in central, northern and especially western Europe is occasionally struck by such a storm system.
These storms cause economic damage of €1.9 billion per year, and insurance losses of €1.4 billion per year (1990–1998). They rank as the second highest cause of global natural catastrophe insurance loss (after U.S. hurricanes).
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—Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)