Windstorm "Gudrun" (aka "Erwin"), strongest storm of the decade

Gudrun was a powerful storm which hit Denmark, Sweden and Latvia on 8 January 2005. The name Erwin was chosen by the Free University of Berlin, while the storm was named Gudrun by the Norwegian Meteorological Institute and was the name used in Sweden. Sustained wind speeds of 126 km/h with wind gusts of 165 km/h were measured in Hanstholm, Denmark - the same strength as a Category 1 hurricane. At least 22 people died in the storm.

The storm caused significant financial damage in Sweden, where the forest industry suffered greatly from damaged trees, as more than 75,000,000 cubic metres of trees were blown down in southern Sweden. This resulted in Sweden at the time having the world's largest storage of lumber.

Video: Powerful European windstorm (Cyclone Erwin, aka Gudrun) and storm surge in Bolderaja district, Riga, Latvia on January 9, 2005. This video shows the windstorm in Riga, Latvia - which became the strongest storm in more than 40 years, since powerful storms in 1967 and 1969.