Cyclone Niklas, also known as the Lentestorm (spring storm) in the Netherlands,[4] was a European windstorm that affected areas of western and central Europe with widespread disruption to air, shipping and road transport at the end of March 2015.

The storm also caused forestry and property damage, power outages and led to the loss of several lives.

[1] The Niklas storm was preceded by the low pressure named Mike by the Free University of Berlin, which brought hurricane strength winds to Germany on 30 March.

[1] Cyclone Niklas is regarded as being not quite as strong in Germany as the Kyrill storm which had a slightly higher peak gust speed and longer duration.

[9] Niklas was not thought to represent an insurance loss in the league of that seen following the catastrophic damages of Cyclone Lothar and Martin in France 1999, where peak gusts of over 270 km/h (170 mph) were measured.

[12] Structural damage was also reported to property in the capital Cardiff and Mountain Ash, Rhondda Cynon Taf.

[13] The Ouse Bridge on the M62 motorway saw a portable building blow off the lorry transporting it, and led to tailbacks lasting for several hours on the M62.

This was compounded in the City of Hull when a lorry overturned on to the central barriers from the southbound carriageway of the Humber Bridge[14] blocking the two major arteries in and out of Hull and East Riding, Humberside police and Highways agency investigating incidents to identify potential driving offences, as the bridges were closed to high-sided vehicles at the time.

[17] 14 people were left homeless after high winds blew over half the roof off a block of flats in South Ockendon, Essex.

In Europe's largest port of Rotterdam two container terminals closed with ships remaining at sea waiting until the weather calmed down.

The Maersk container ship MV Sea-Land Meteor ran aground near to Vlissingen during the storm before being refloated on the next high tide.

[20] The Dutch Traffic Information Service (Verkeersinformatiedienst) reported that some 25 trucks and trailers overturned on the main roads across the Netherlands, the most in one day since 2007, when the Kyrill (storm) saw 30 blown over in significantly stronger winds, though conditions were not as bad as during the Burns Day storm 25 January 1990 when 130 articulated lorries, caravans and trailers were blown over on major roads.

[25] In Switzerland preventative closure of railway lines, cable cars and upland areas taken out in preparation for the storm.

[28] In the Czech Republic the storm impacted transport particularly, on the railways a fallen tree derailed a train travelling between Olomouc and Opava.

[29] Numerous power outages occurred in the Czech Republic, and the fire brigade reported 14 times as more callouts than on an average day.

[33] Due to snow or hail accompanying the cyclone, four men where killed when drivers lost control over their cars.