The stormy month of January 2018 over Western Europe

The study concludes that human-induced climate change had no significant influence on the occurrence of Storms Eleanor and Friederike. While observational data from the past 40 years show a decrease in near-surface wind speeds, climate models suggest a marginal increase in the probability of extreme hourly winds (0-20%) by the middle of the century due to greenhouse gases. The observed decline in storminess is attributed to factors other than climate change, such as increased surface roughness, aerosols, and decadal variability.

• Human-induced climate change did not significantly influence the occurrence of Storms Eleanor and Friederike, although models suggest global warming could marginally increase the probability of extreme hourly winds by 0-20% by the middle of the century.
• Observational data from the last four decades indicate a downward trend in near-surface wind speeds in the affected areas, with a decrease of approximately 12% for the area struck by Storm Friederike and about 20% for the area struck by Storm Eleanor.
• The observed decrease in wind speeds is likely driven by factors other than greenhouse gases, including increased surface roughness, aerosol effects, and decadal-scale variability.
• Storm Friederike caused at least eleven casualties and approximately 00 million euros in damage to buildings and 100 million euros in damage to cars in Germany; it also caused the first total shutdown of train traffic in the history of the Netherlands.
• Storm Eleanor caused major disruptions in France, including the closure of ski resorts in the Alps, and resulted in insurance and reinsurance costs estimated at 1.6 billion euros.

APA

World Weather Attribution (2018). The stormy month of January 2018 over Western Europe. https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/the-stormy-month-of-january-2018-over-western-europe/

Chicago

World Weather Attribution. The stormy month of January 2018 over Western Europe. 2018. https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/the-stormy-month-of-january-2018-over-western-europe/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Weather Attribution |title=The stormy month of January 2018 over Western Europe |date=16 March 2018 |url=https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/the-stormy-month-of-january-2018-over-western-europe/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldweatherattribution2018stormy, author = {{World Weather Attribution}}, title = {{The stormy month of January 2018 over Western Europe}}, institution = {World Weather Attribution}, year = {2018}, month = mar, url = {https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/the-stormy-month-of-january-2018-over-western-europe/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }