Storm Filomena

Storm Filomena was an extratropical cyclone in early January 2021 that was most notable for bringing unusually heavy snowfall to parts of Spain, with Madrid recording its heaviest snowfall in over a century [1], and with Portugal being hit less severely. The eighth named storm of the 2020–21 European windstorm season, Filomena formed over the Atlantic Ocean close to the Canary Islands on 7 January, subsequently taking a slow track north-eastwards towards the Iberian Peninsula and then eastwards across the Mediterranean Sea. As Filomena was crossing the Iberian Peninsula, the leading edge of the storm collided with cold air that was being channeled down from the Arctic by an area of high pressure centred over the United Kingdom; the constant supply of cold air and slow movement of Filomena resulted in persistent heavy snowfall, reaching up to 60 cm (24 in) in Madrid. At least 5 people were killed due to the effects of cold weather in Spain during the passage of Filomena: three in Madrid and two in Málaga. Impacts elsewhere were minimal as Filomena moved away from the high to its north, lost its supply of cold air and weakened, and the storm was last noted over Ukraine on 15 January. The storm killed 5 people and caused an estimated $2.2 billion (2021 USD; €1.8 billion) in damages.