Insurance losses from windstorms are the second greatest source of loss for any natural peril after Atlantic hurricanes in the United States . Windstorm losses exceed those caused by flooding in Europe . For instance one windstorm , Kyrill in 2007 , exceeded the losses of the 2007 United Kingdom floods . On average , some 200,000 buildings are damaged by high winds in the UK every year . European windstorms wipe out electrical generation capacity across large areas , making supplementation from abroad difficult ( windturbines shut down to avoid damage and nuclear capacity may shut if cooling water is contaminated or flooding of the power plant occurs ) . Transmission capabilities can also be severely limited if power lines are brought down by snow , ice or high winds . In the wake of Cyclone Gudrun in 2005 Denmark and Latvia had difficulty importing electricity , and Sweden lost 25 % of its total power capacity as the Ringhals Nuclear Power Plant and Barsebäck nuclear power plant nuclear plants were shut down
2007 United Kingdom floods
2007 United Kingdom floods
European windstorm