Storms and more!!!

A European windstorm is a severe cyclonic storm that tracks across the North Atlantic towards northwestern Europe in the winter months. These storms usually track over the north coast of Scotland towards Norway but can veer south to affect other countries including England, Wales, Ireland, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Austria, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland. As these storms can generate hurricane-force winds, they are sometimes referred to as hurricanes, even though very few originate as tropical cyclones. Highest recorded peak winds at landfall have been comparable to Category 3 hurricanes on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale.

These storms cause economic damage of €1.9 billion per year, and insurance losses of €1.4 billion per year (1990-1998). They rank as the second highest cause of global natural catastrophe insurance loss (after U.S. hurricanes).^{[citation needed]}

Several European languages use the word Orcan (or cognates thereof) to indicate the European windstorm. "Orcan" derives from the Mayan god Huracan, also the source of the word hurricane.

A squall is a sudden, sharp increase in wind speed which is usually associated with active weather, such as rain showers, thunderstorms, or heavy snow. ^[1] Squalls refer to an increase in the sustained winds over a short time interval, as there may be higher gusts during a squall event.^[2] They usually occur in a region of strong mid-level height falls,^[clarify] or mid-level tropospheric cooling, which force strong localized upward motions at the leading edge of the region of cooling, which then enhances local downward motions just in its wake.