A severe convective storm and associated hail events that impacted various parts of Western Europe from August 26th to 28th, 2026, are provisionally estimated to have generated nearly €3.3 billion in insured damages, according to initial assessments from the catastrophe data firm PERILS AG.
Severe Convective Storm "Raphaela" Unleashes Significant Losses Across Western Europe
Between August 26th and 28th, 2026, a powerful severe convective storm (SCS) system, officially named "Raphaela" by the Free University of Berlin, brought widespread hail and destructive weather across several Western European nations. The affected regions included France, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy, leading to substantial claims for the insurance sector.
This particular weather phenomenon developed as a cold front advanced eastward through France, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy, interacting with warm, humid air masses lingering from earlier heatwaves. This atmospheric confluence provided ample energy for the formation of numerous intense SCS systems, including supercells that produced exceptionally large hailstones, fierce winds, and torrential rainfall, triggering flash floods.
The destructive path of the storm initiated in western France on August 26th, subsequently moving into central and eastern France by August 27th. By August 28th, Switzerland, southern Germany, and northern Italy were engulfed by the system. PERILS reported that hailstones measuring between 4 and 8 cm in diameter were widespread across all affected countries. Notably, the city of Besançon in eastern France was severely hit. In Switzerland, a broad swath extending from Lake Geneva to Lake Constance experienced significant hail damage, which also spread into southern Germany. Northern Italian regions, particularly Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna, bore the brunt of the largest hailstones, with some reaching an astonishing 13 cm in diameter. Although there were no reported fatalities, the damage to both property and vehicles was extensive.
PERILS AG has provided an initial estimate of €3,296 million for the insurance market loss, based on aggregated data from various affected insurers. These losses are primarily concentrated in the property and motor insurance segments. For Switzerland, the "Raphaela" event represents one of the most substantial catastrophe insured losses on record. While significant, the industry losses for France, Italy, and Germany were comparatively less extreme than some experienced in recent years.
Luzi Hitz, Product Manager at PERILS, highlighted that the "Raphaela" storms mark the second SCS event in Europe during 2026 to exceed €2 billion in industry losses. Both events were fueled by antecedent heatwaves, which supplied the necessary thermal energy and humidity for SCS formation. Hitz emphasized that these occurrences underscore the formidable destructive potential of Europe's summer weather transitions. The ongoing warming of the atmosphere contributes to increased "fuel" for severe convective storms, suggesting that multi-billion euro SCS events in Europe could become a more frequent and concerning reality in the foreseeable future.
This event serves as a stark reminder of the increasing vulnerability of insured assets to severe weather phenomena in a changing climate. The insurance industry must continue to adapt its risk assessment and mitigation strategies to account for the heightened frequency and intensity of such catastrophic events. Furthermore, this incident reiterates the critical role of timely and accurate catastrophe data aggregation in understanding and responding to large-scale natural disasters, enabling better preparedness and faster recovery efforts.
