earth science

Storm Kristin

Storm Kristin is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Storm Kristin rather than just read about it. In short: Storm Kristin was a compact, catastrophic and record-breaking extratropical cyclone that severely impacted Portugal, as well as parts of the Mediterranean and Southeastern Europe in late January 2026. Storm Kristin was the twenty-sixth storm of the 2025–26 European windstorm season, and the eleventh to be named by the south-western naming group, which consists of France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, and Luxembourg.

Key takeaways

Storm Kristin belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Storm Kristin to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Storm Kristin from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Storm Kristin was a compact, catastrophic and record-breaking extratropical cyclone that severely impacted Portugal, as well as parts of the Mediterranean and Southeastern Europe in late January 2026. Storm Kristin was the twenty-sixth storm of the 2025–26 European windstorm season, and the eleventh to be named by the south-western naming group, which consists of France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Kristin was named by the IPMA on 27 January, as a significant impact was forecast. The impact of Kristin and its successors was described as a humanitarian crisis by a researcher in extreme weather and climate change. Kristin achieved record-breaking status by rapidly intensifying in the hours before landfall. Kristin made landfall at peak intensity in the Leiria district, which resulted in extremely intense winds in multiple Portuguese districts. The IPMA measured the strongest gust in Portuguese history, surpassing the record of Hurricane Leslie in 2018. The extreme wind gusts of more than 200 km/h were attributed to a sting jet, that developed as the cyclone made landfall. A storm like Kristin had an estimated return period of 80–90 years, based on a reanalysis. Before disappearing, Kristin also affected Spain severely and caused heavy precipitation and thunderstorms in Italy and Greece. Kristin especially affected the Portuguese districts of Leiria, Coimbra, and Santarém severely, but also affected other districts in Portugal such as the Lisbon district. After moving through Portugal, Kristin also struck Spain with wind gusts of more than 170 km/h. As a result of Kristin, Portugal experienced its largest blackout in history. Around 1,000,000 customers in Portugal were without power, according to E-Redes. Approximately 170,000 customers experienced power outages in Andalusia. Kristin caused long-lasting and widespread communication outages in Portugal, lasting for several months. Kristin was responsible for a significant ecological impact in parts of Portugal, as tens of millions of trees fell, which raised concerns for potential wildfires in the summer of 2026. The storm had a widespread and severe impact on emotional well-being in the affected areas. Kristin prompted national and international solidarity actions and humanitarian aid efforts. Over 2,000 injuries were reported in Portugal, 177 direct and 2,000 indirect. Furthermore, 14 deaths were attributed to Kristin in Portugal, six direct and eight indirect. One death and 12 injuries were reported in Spain. Estimated monetary losses in Portugal were more than €6 billion, which was more than 1.6% of the country's GDP in 2026, making Kristin the most damaging storm on record for Portugal. Initial government estimates indicated losses of €1.2 billion in Spain, bringing the total amount of losses by Kristin to more than €7.2 billion. Kristin's successor, storm Leonardo, was responsible for causing major floodings in parts of Portugal, which exacerbated the impact of Kristin.

Storm name On 27 January, the IPMA used the name "Kristin" for the twenty-sixth storm of the 2025–26 European windstorm season and the eleventh storm to be named by the south-western naming group, as red warnings were issued for parts of Portugal. Kristin is a Scandinavian name and its meanings are "Christian" or "follower of Christ".

Meteorological history

At the end of January 2026, there was a persistent anticyclonic blocking between Greenland and Scandinavia, which resulted in the polar jet descending in latitude, resulting in a very favorable configuration for the strong development of low-pressure areas. Under influence of storm Joseph, also named Marilu by the FUB, a secondary low formed. This secondary low was named Kristin by the IPMA, as a significant impact was forecast for parts of Portugal. Enabled by very dynamic and favorable atmospheric conditions, Kristin rapidly intensified in the night before it made landfall. During its explosive cyclogenesis, Kristin deepened to a minimum atmospheric pressure of 975 hPa. In the hours before Kristin made landfall in the Leiria district, the storm developed a sting jet, which is a rare phenomenon that exclusively happens in extratropical cyclones with a warm core.

Around 4:45 AM UTC, Kristin made landfall as an extremely powerful storm in the Leiria district, with gusts exceeding 200 km/h in some parts of the Leiria and Coimbra districts. In Soure, which is a municipality in the Coimbra district, a gust of 208.8 km/h has been measured, exceeding the previous record of 176.4 km/h by Leslie in 2018. Unofficially, a gust of 238 km/h has been measured in Lavos, which is also a parish in the Coimbra district. The Monte Real Air Base, which is located in the Leiria district, reported a gust of 178 km/h before the anemometer got damaged. The Leiria aerodrome measured a gust of 156.2 km/h, according to the IPMA. Lisbon measured a peak gust of 115 km/h. Doppler weather radar imagery were indicative of wind speeds in excess of 216 km/h (>60 m/s) at an altitude of 600 metres during Kristin's peak intensity. After moving through Portugal, Kristin caused strong winds and excessive precipitation in Spain. A maximum gust of 174 km/h was measured in Dehesa del Camarate by the AEMET. A gust of 156 km/h was measured in Villena. Gusts of 150.5 km/h were recorded in Benizalón, which is one of the strongest gusts ever recorded in Almería, alongside with gusts of 131 km/h in Carboneras, 124 km/h in Xodos, 118 km/h in Laujar de Andarax, 116.3 km/h in the Calar Alto mountains, 113.8 km/h in Albox, and 111 km/h in Garuccha. A maximum gust of 108 km/h was measured in Cáceres. In A Gándara, a gust of 120.6 km/h was measured. Madrid experienced snow, which happens a couple times per year.

Effect of climate change According to a research conducted by Manning et al. (2018), the frequency of extreme windstorms increases with 25–35% as a result of climate change. The main cause is the increased contribution of storms that develop a sting jet as a result of the global warming. Kristin had a sting jet, which was responsible for its intensity, according to the IPMA. Global warming also alters large-scale atmospheric circulations, which contributes to environments being more favorable for rapid cyclogenesis and persistent cyclonic influences.

Warnings and preparation

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Storm Kristin

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Storm Kristin claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Storm Kristin before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Storm Kristin ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Storm Kristin

In research: Storm Kristin appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Storm Kristin in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Storm Kristin is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2026 disasters in Europe, European windstorms, Extratropical cyclones, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Storm Kristin outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Storm Kristin in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Storm Kristin means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Storm Kristin out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Storm Kristin in simple terms?

Why does Storm Kristin matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Storm Kristin?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Storm Kristin.