Windstorm Johanna Seen Less Severe Than Emma

Losses from Windstorm Johanna, which caused havoc in Europe, are expected to be less severe than Windstorm Emma, which hit earlier, according to one catastrophe modeling agency.

Boston-based AIR Worldwide, a subsidiary of Jersey City, N.J.-based Insurance Services Offices Inc., said Windstorm Johanna, which was buffeting the United Kingdom and France this week, is expected to cause significantly less damage than Emma, which struck last week, because top wind speeds are less severe and the storm’s footprint is smaller.

In an e-mail, AIR’s Peter Dailey said wind gusts from Emma were reported as high as 155 kilometers per hour (96 mph) as compared to a high measured at 138 kilometers (86 mph) for Johanna.

Additionally, he said “nearly all of Germany and Austria were impacted by strong winds [from] Emma, while most of the damage [from] Johanna will be confined to the U.K. region.”

No modelers have released insured damage estimates from the storm because it is still ongoing. They have said a clearer picture will develop later in the week after the storm.

A spokesman for the Association of British Insurers said the losses in the United Kingdom could equal or exceed last year’s Windstorm Kyrill that resulted in £350 million ($702 million) in insured losses, but that figure is speculative.

Johanna has caused thousands to lose power in both the United Kingdom and Northern France, and massive flooding has disrupted transportation. The storm is reported to have claimed at least two lives in France.