Cyclone Dirk was a large and deep European windstorm that affected Western Europe from the Iberian Peninsula to Iceland from 22 December 2013.

[1][3] Deepening below 935 hPa (27.6 inHg) is considered uncommon in the North Atlantic, but has been recorded on a number of occasions, measured from ships transiting the ocean and from land based-recording stations.

[5][6] On land the low pressure during the storm was measured at 936.8 hPa (27.66 inHg) on 24 December at Stornoway, Isle of Lewis off the north west coast of Scotland.

At the southernmost tip of the Faroe Islands a low air pressure of 932.2 hPa (27.53 inHg) was recorded on Christmas Eve at Akraberg lighthouse.

The storm was described as a "perturbation tempétueuse" (stormy disturbance) by Météo France, who issued orange warnings to parts of Brittany on 22 December.

Denmark saw few problems with transport, but high-sided and wind-sensitive vehicles were being warned to stay off the roads, especially the larger bridges.

[25] The Port of Dover closed at 21:00 23 December due to strong winds and high seas, reopening at 07:30 the morning after.

[26] Reports that several ferries spent the night unable to dock riding out the storm in the English Channel.

A major incident was declared in the region of Leatherhead and Dorking with Fire Brigade unions calling off a planned strike in Surrey and Kent.

[23] A Russian seaman was missing from the cargo ship Victoriaborg 220 km (140 mi) northwest of Brest in the storm.

[34] Manuel Valls the French Minister of the Interior while visiting the heavily affected region of Brittany, said an error had been made in the forecasting and preparation for the Dirk storm.

[35] He said that officials had severely underestimated the danger posed, and ordered Prefects to investigate what preparations and warnings were undertaken, saying that decrees describing the worst affected regions as 'natural catastrophes' (a constitutional French designation[36]) would be published rapidly.

[35] On 21 January 2014 the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom held a one-off evidence session on power disruption during Christmas and the New Year.

[37] During the session the Energy Networks Association announced that around 750,000 customers lost electricity during the stormy period over Christmas, with 93-95% of these reconnected within 24 hours.

[38] The House of Commons Energy Select Committee on 21 January 2014 was critical of the speed at which UK power networks responded, however the company[which?]

Mark Mathieson, managing director of SSE's electricity networks, told the committee on 21 January that: "It was just the impact of the event.

[39] He said that "tried and tested" plans made by the power companies struggled as wind speeds escalated significantly, and predictions failed to estimate the duration of strong winds which resulted in greater damage, coupled with the national reach of the storm which prevented regional distribution companies relying on mutual aid from other regions.