The 2022–23 European windstorm season was the deadliest and costliest European windstorm season on record, mainly because of the impact in northern Libya of Storm Daniel, which became the deadliest and costliest medicane ever recorded as well as the deadliest tropical or subtropical system worldwide since 2013.
The 2022–23 season was the eighth instance of the European windstorm naming in Europe. It comprised a year from 1 September to 31 August, except in the Eastern Mediterranean Group which is shifted a month later and as such Storm Daniel was named on 4 September and lasted until 12 September, and Storm Elias existed two weeks later and overlapped with the first storm of the succeeding season named by Greece. This was the fourth season where the Netherlands participated, alongside the United Kingdom's Met Office and Ireland's Met Éireann in the western group. The Portuguese, Spanish, French and Belgian meteorological agencies collaborated for the sixth time, joined by Luxembourg's agency (South-western group). This is the second season where Greece, Israel and Cyprus (Eastern Mediterranean group), and Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Malta (Central Mediterranean group) named storms which affected their areas.
Background and naming
Definitions and naming conventions
There is no universal definition of what constitutes a windstorm in Europe, nor is there a universally accepted system of naming storms. For example, in the Western Group, consisting of the UK, Ireland, and the Netherlands, a storm is named if one of the meteorological agencies in those countries issues an orange warning (amber in the UK), which generally requires a likelihood of widespread sustained wind speeds greater than 65 km/h, or widespread wind gust speeds over 110 km/h. (Required wind speeds vary slightly by agency and by season.) Both the likelihood of impact and the potential severity of the system are considered when naming a storm. The Southwest Group of Spain, Portugal, and France share a similar storm-naming scheme, though their names differ from those used by the Western Group. In Greece, however, naming criteria were established for storms when the storm's forecasted winds are above 50 km/h over land, with the wind expected to have a significant impact to infrastructures. In Denmark, a windstorm must have an hourly average windspeed of at least 90 km/h (25 m/s).
The Meteorology Department of the Free University of Berlin (FUB) names all high and low pressure systems that affect Europe, though they do not assign names to any actual storms. A windstorm that is associated with one of these pressure systems will at times be recognized by the name assigned to the associated pressure system by the FUB. Named windstorms that have been recognized by a European meteorological agency are described in this article.
Naming conventions used in Europe are generally based on conditions that are forecast, not conditions that have actually occurred, as public awareness and preparedness are often cited as the main purpose of the naming schemes–for example, a reference. Therefore, an assignment of a storm name does not mean that a storm will actually develop.
Western Group (United Kingdom, Ireland and the Netherlands)
In 2015, the Met Office and Met Éireann announced a project to name storms as part of the "Name our Storms" project for windstorms and asked the public for suggestions. The meteorological offices produced a full list of names for 2015–2016 through 2017–2018, common to both the United Kingdom and Ireland, with the Netherlands taking part from 2019 onwards. Names in the United Kingdom will be based on the National Severe Weather Warning Service.
The following names were chosen for the 2022–23 season in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the Netherlands. For a windstorm to be named, the United Kingdom's Met Office, Ireland's Met Eireann, and the Netherlands KNMI have to issue an amber weather warning, preferably for wind, but a storm can also be named for amber warnings of rain and snow (e.g. Storm Arwen in 2021).
Antoni Betty
South-western Group (France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium and Luxembourg)
This was the sixth year in which the meteorological agencies of France, Spain and Portugal named storms that affected their areas.
Armand Béatrice Cláudio Denise Efraín Fien Gérard Hannelore Isaack Juliette Kamiel Larisa Mathis Noa Oscar Patrícia
Southeastern Mediterranean Group (Greece, Israel and Cyprus)
The following names were chosen for the 2022–23 season in Greece, Israel and Cyprus.
Ariel Barbara Cleon (heatwave) Daniel Elias
Central Mediterranean Group (Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Malta)
The following names were chosen for the 2022–23 season in Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Malta.
Ana Bogdan Clio Dino Eva Fobos Gaia Helios Ilina Leon Minerva Nino Olga Petar Rea
Northern Group (Denmark, Norway and Sweden)
This naming group, like the naming from the Free University of Berlin, does not use a naming list but names storms when it has not received a name by any other meteorological service in Europe and is projected to affect Denmark, Norway or Sweden. Otto Hans
Central & Southern Group (Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Austria)
The Free University of Berlin names storms based on low pressures across the continent and does not use a naming list.
Bettina Elke Marion Philomena Regina Poly
Ex-Atlantic Hurricane
One former Atlantic hurricane transitioned into a European windstorm and retained its name as assigned by the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida:
Danielle
Season summary
All storms named by European meteorological organisations in their respective forecasting areas, as well as Atlantic hurricanes that transitioned into European windstorms and retained the name assigned by the National Hurricane Center:
Storms
Ex-Hurricane Danielle
The remnants of Hurricane Danielle became an extratropical cyclone that affected Portugal and parts of western Spain. It had formerly been a Category 1 hurricane that transitioned into a post-tropical cyclone on 8 September, north of the Azores. It dissipated off the coast of Portugal on 15 September.
Large waves and heavy rainfall hit the Azores. Ex-Danielle brought heavy rain to mainland Portugal while meandering near its coast. Between 12 and 13 September, 644 accidents were reported throughout the country. While many downed trees and flash floods were reported, no fatalities resulted from the downpours. In Manteigas, under a "state of calamity" at the time, following intense summer forest fires in nearby areas of the Serra da Estrela mountain range, floods and landslides caused major damage. Four vehicles were dragged into the Zêzere River. Heavy rain extended to as far north as Braga. Covilhã saw of rain while Viseu saw of rain. Minor wind and flooding damage was reported in both Lisbon and Setúbal. Much of Spain was put on yellow alert as wind, rain and thunderstorms triggered by the cyclone moved inland.
Storm Ana (Reili)
Storm Ana was named on 15 September by the Italian Meteorological Service, with the same storm receiving the name Reili from the Free University of Berlin. The storm caused devastating floods in the Italian region of Marche between 15 and 16 September, mainly affecting the city of Ancona, where 12 people were killed and in other areas, 50 people were injured. One person is still missing. Afterwards, the system weakened and dissipated on 21 September.
Storm Bogdan (Ute)
Storm Bogdan was named by the Italian Meteorological Service on 24 September. Greece's Hellenic National Meteorological Service issued weather warnings for parts of Western Greece and islands in the Ionian Sea.
Storm Clio
On 25 September, Storm Clio was named by the Institute of Hydrometeorology and Seismology of Montenegro. The storm brought light rain and a moderate breeze to the country, however, the European Severe Storms Laboratory did not document any severe weather reports in Montenegro from Storm Clio.
Storm Dino
Storm Dino was named by the Italian Meteorological Service on 30 September 2022, a gust of was recorded. It later went on to affect Greece and brought winds of up to . The storm dissipated on 6 October 2022.
Storm Bettina
Storm Bettina was named by the Deutscher Wetterdienst, the German meteorological agency, on 7 October 2022. As Storm Bettina impacted Iceland on 9–10 October, the European Severe Storms Laboratory reported 181 storm reports, with 156 of those being severe wind reports of at least and 25 heavy snowfall reports. Due to the storm, about 500 of RARIK's customers lost power. Dozens of reports of power transmissions being damaged or destroyed occurred on 9 October all around Iceland along with multiple reports of roads becoming impassable.
Storm Elke
Storm Elke was named by the Deutscher Wetterdienst, the German meteorological agency, on 14 October 2022. The storm impacted Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Estonia and Russia on 16–17 October, uprooting trees, damaging houses, and causing power outages. On 16 October two IF1 tornadoes caused damage in Norway. The event was later classified as a derecho imbedded in Low Pressure System Elke instead of a European Windstorm by the European Severe Storms Laboratory. The storm entered the Arctic and dissipated on 21 October.
Storm Armand (Georgina)
Storm Armand was named by the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) on 19 October. This system was named Georgina by the FUB. Expected to bring strong winds to the Iberian Peninsula, Armand also caused flooding and fallen trees. On 21 October, the storm approached France and the British Isles, causing strong gales and heavy rain. By 22 October, the storm had reached the tip of Scotland after significantly weakening. The storm then entered the North Sea and then looped back around again to Ireland when it dissipated on 23 October 2022.
The strongest high-level wind gusts from Armand were recorded on Mount Aigoual, France, reaching . Meanwhile, the strongest low-level wind gust from Armand was recorded at Brignogan, France.
Storm Béatrice (Helgard II)
A cold wave impulsed an extratropical cyclone in Europe and the storm interacted of anticyclone in the south in central Atlantic, the storm moved up towards Spain and Portugal, when on 22 October it received the name Beatrice. The system was named Helgard II by the FUB, and Helgard I went on into eastern Europe, as Helgard II did not affect eastern Europe. The storm then went on to bring heavy wind and rain to the Iberian Peninsula. The outer bands of this storm were also related to the supercells in northern France and southern England which produced at least nine tornadoes, including the intense Bihucourt tornado.
A band of intense thunderstorms on the northern leading edge of Beatrice crossed southern and eastern England during the afternoon and evening of 23 October, where a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms was issued. Heavy rainfall and strong winds were reported widely, resulting in some flooding and structural damage, and flights were disrupted at Heathrow Airport for several hours.
A small girl was injured by a disjointed gate in a severe wind gust, On 27 October, the storm tracked north towards Iceland and dissipated.
Storm Cláudio (Karsta)