Study Impact Downburst Events on Overhead Lines (OHLs) in the Netherlands in Relation to Climate Change

Over the past several decades, a number of overhead line (OHL) towers have failed as a result of climatic loading. In the 1970s and 1980s, most failures were linked to heavy snow or ice accretion. In contrast, over the last twenty years, the majority of recorded failures have been associated with localized microburst events—commonly known as downbursts. Although the absolute number of failures remains relatively small, similar trends have been observed in neighbouring countries.