Meteorological agencies of Ireland and the UK have confirmed that winter (December to February) 2013–2014 (W2013–14) set records for precipitation totals and the occurrence of extreme wind speeds1–3. Less clear is whether storminess (characterized as the frequency and intensity of cyclones) during W2013–14 was equally unprecedented. We assessed multidecadal variations in storminess by considering frequency and intensity together and found that in the context of these large-scale cyclone characteristics, W2013–14 was indeed exceptional. Given the potential societal impacts, there is clearly a need to better understand the processes driving extreme cyclonic activity in the North Atlantic.