Reporting on historical severe storms: Two examples of Utrecht (1674) and Abtenau (1796)

The paper surveys written and pictorial sources on two examples of severe storms in the Netherlands and in Austria in Early Modern Times. A cultural-historical tool is proposed to investigate the human dimension of the storm consequences. The retrospective analysis of a tornado (1674, Utrecht) and a previously rediscovered hailstorm (1796, Abtenau) illustrate the approach.