Carmen (storm)
Encyclopedia
Carmen was an extremely powerful extratropical cyclone
and European windstorm
which caused widespread damage in the American
state of Maine
, then crossed the Atlantic Ocean
and affected the United Kingdom
, Ireland
, France
, Belgium
and the Netherlands
.
. It hit Maine
on 7–8 November 2010.
By 9 November, once south of Atlantic Canada
, the system was named "Carmen" as it passed into the North Atlantic near and over southern Greenland
, Iceland
and the Faroe Islands
, which had been suffering from the lesser storm Becky since the 5th. Arctic Storm Becky died out over Denmark and Northern Germany on the 12th, and its remnants joined windstorm Carmen over Russia on the 14th.
Traveling eastward, Carmen eventually attained a central pressure of 948 millibar
s as it struck the United Kingdom. At 06:00 UTC on Friday, 12 November windstorm Carmen was over the North Sea, east of Scotland, with a central pressure of approximately 965 mb. Carmen was last noted over western Russia
on 14 November as it continued to weaken, and had burnt itself out over the Former Yugoslavia
, Eastern Europe
, Moscow
and the Gulf of Finland
between the 18th to 19th.
On November 8 the Central Maine Power Co. said that about 31,500 people had been without power after Maine suffered a major snow storm on the 7th, but that 29,005 had been reconnected in the meantime.
More than 450 utility line workers from Maine
and New York State wore at work across the state of Maine. The houses cut off included 14,280 in Cumberland County
, 4,227 in Sagadahoc County, 3,674 in Androscoggin County, and 3,982 in Lincoln County
. Many schools closed due to power outages and at there was least one weather-related traffic fatality in Maine. In Alna, Maine
minor roads were flooded in low-lying areas and the wind cut electricity to more than 10,000 users across the area: a large pine tree had fallen on a power line, and had broken a telephone pole fifty yards away as it fell. Crews from Tidewater Telecom and Central Maine Power line repaired as emergency management officials reported no major problems from this storm, unlike in November 2009. This storm did most damage in southern Maine and areas to the west such as Augusta. Northeast gales grew stronger, lashing midcoast Maine around the still-operational Owls Head Lighthouse on the 8th.
Staff from the Central Maine Power Co. said on 4:30 p.m. on the 10th that 3,670 customers were still without power in southern and central Maine
, and that a few people would be without power on Wednesday.
The storm then passed over the Maritime Provinces of Canada on the 8th of November. By 9 November, once south of Atlantic Canada
, the system was named "Carmen" as it passed into the North Atlantic near and over southern Greenland
, Iceland
and the Faroe Islands
,
Severe storms battered parts of north west Ohio
and northern Indiana
in its wake on the 11th, felling trees and power-lines already hit by the bad weather week earlier as the storms began to ease off.
As part of the storm's endgame
on November 12, 20 inches of snow fell on the T-Bar line on Colorado
's Breckenridge
's Peak 8, giving much pleasure to local bobsleigh
ers and skiers. 2 large pockets of heavy snow fell across north eastern Ohio
and Erie
, Pennsylvania
and neighbouring parts of north western New York state on the 12th.
A thick fog covered Mississauga, Ontario on 19 November. Snow came in North Bay, Ontario
. Gales blown over Toronto
, Ontario
, with heavy rain. There was skating on many lakes in North Vancouver, British Colombia. More than 25 cm (10 inches) of snow fell in parts of Minnesota
on the 19th and the previous weekend
, Northern Ireland
coastal Lancashire
, Cumbria
and coastal Wales
on the 8th. Minor spot floods hit part of the Salthill
promenade in Galway
was and the Gardaí were diverting traffic through Salthill village instead, as Assistant Commissioner John Twomey warned of strong winds and debris making driving conditions difficult in Ireland
.
It got more intense as time passed, and a heavy band of rain hit Western Ireland
on the morning of the 8th and then hit Wales
and Wessex
between 04.00 and 07.00 UTC. By 09.00 UTC, the rain had reached most England
, Wales and western Scotland
. There was some rain everywhere except Dorset
, Somerset
, eastern Ireland
, Orkney, Shetland, Northern Ireland
, Highland Region and Norfolk
and minor flooding was reported in Oxfordshire over Radio Oxford. The Channel Islands
and Normandy
's Cotentin peninsula
were also hit. The heaviest rain fall between 03.30 and 09.00 was generally over patches of south west Ireland, Pembrokeshire
, Bristol
, Dumfriesshire
, Morecambe Bay
, Carlisle, central Lancashire
, Sussex
, Surrey
, Parts of the English Channel
and Cherbourg.
The Gardaí attended a crash in County Galway
that had killed two people due to the road conditions. The Gardai were appealing for witnesses following another fatal nighttime road accident on the Mountmellick
to Emo
road at Knightstown
, Mountmellick in which a male cyclist was fatally injured after being hit by a car, whose driver was slightly injured.
A Brazilian man from the UK’s Midlands region
drowned in a car accident that morning on the Offaly–Westmeath border. His car skidded off the road between Rhode
and Rochfortbridge
, hit a roadside bank, and rolled on its roof into the flood-swollen water of the River Monagh on the 8th.
The water levels at Galway Docks and the Claddagh
Basin rose violently in the evening as extensive sand-bagging was put in place at the Spanish Arch
, Quay Street
and Flood Street for the short term. County Cork
was hit by minor flooding, including Cork the city centre during the previous night and flooding was reported shortly after 6.00 pm on the 8th at Penrose Quay, the South Terrace and Sharman-Crawford Street at the peak flow of the high tide. There was a real fear by the Quay’s owners of a heavy tidal flooding of the quay as wind and waves sloshed against it menacingly.
Gardaí Assistant Commissioner Twomey said in a press interview: "Sadly, so far this year over 190 people were killed on the national roads. 35 people were killed during October, making it one of the worst months for fatalities since February 2008". He went on to warn of the hazards caused by decreasing seasonal daylight and a greater chance of encountering wet and slippery road surfaces. In County Galway
a van and a bus carrying 27 students from Mayo
to Limerick
skidded on groundwater and crashed at Glenafosha outside Tuam
just after 7.30 pm, killing both drivers and injuring 12 of the students. It is understood that the poor weather at the location made driving conditions very difficult.
High winds, driving rain and on occasions snow hit Northern Ireland
. Motorists were urged by the police to drive with caution due to the extreme weather the previous night. Ice, floods and fallen trees affected most roads. The Roads Service Northern Ireland was warning of the risk of ice on roads in the west part of the province, and said it dealt with a total of 49 fallen trees. Gale-force winds ripped through Downpatrick
and County Londonderry
overnight. The Foyle Bridge
in the city of Derry
was closed to high-sided vehicles due to high winds.
The Glenshane Pass was cleared of snow and gritted, but there were 22 incidents of flooding on roads overnight, causing the Castletown Road in Ballynure
and Shore Road in Ballyhalbert
to be closed due to flooding. Several roads closed due to fallen trees, including the A2
Kilkeel
to Newcastle
road at Bloody Bridge, Ballyloan Road, Slievegrane Road, Ardigon Road all in Downpatrick
, Ardkill Road, County Londonderry, and Hollyhall Road in Derry
.
The N.I. Roads Service salted high ground routes considered to be at risk in the Derry
, Limavady
and Mid Ulster
areas.
In England a major HSE rail investigation was launched after a morning commuter train skidded along Charing Cross
to Hastings
line on wet leaves. The train from Charing Cross sped through one station at 65 mph; the terrified driver immediately contacted signal control center to raise the alarm as his train skidded down the track for two miles, after he braked when approaching Stonegate railway station
station in East Sussex
.
The storm formed a column of heavy rain and wind, which was slowly drifting east ward in the area approximately delimited by Aberdeen
, Stornoway
, Glasgow
, Edinburgh
, Lincoln, Durham
, York
, Hull
, Guildford
, Brighton
, Bristol
, Gloucester
, Shrewsbury
, Peterborough
, Southampton
and Bristol
at 07:30, with the bottom moving to between Southampton
and RAC
by 09.00, Dartford
and Southampton by 09.30UTC, Watford
and Dover
by 10.00. and Dartford and Dover
by 10.30.
It had been raining heavily and continuously in Aberdeenshire
, Aberdeen, Stornoway
, Perthshire
, Glasgow, Edingborough, Carlisle, Lancashire
, Bristol, Gloucestershire
, Oxfordshire, Lincolnshire
, Norfolk
and parts of south western Ireland and along the coastline of County Antrim
between 03:00 and 10.30 on the 8th. The storms left Stornoway as they virtually drifted out of the Hebrides
at 10:30 and Aberdeen by 11:00.
The overnight weather had caused much chaos in the UK. The periodic gale-force northerly winds had hit most the UK at some time during the night. The worst-affected areas of the UK were in the north-west and south-east tip of England. Cornwall
, Galloway
, Cumbria
and the Lancashire part of the Pennines
had seen moderate rain or snow that day.
By 09.00 UTC, the Met Office
issued a weather warning saying it had calculated that up to 30 mm of rain was forecast on lower ground. drifting snow was expected in the hills with winds of up to 60 mph in Cumbria, and up to 70 mm of rain was forecast for Kent
, and East and West Sussex over the next two days. Thunderstorms and up to 70 mm were also predicted to occur in parts of Lancashire and Greater Manchester
. AA
and police warned that some of the roads in Lancashire were flooded, particularly in the towns of Bolton
, Chorley
and Blackburn. Galloway, Cumbrian and Northumbrian farmers prepared for the worst.
Similar weather hit Scotland, causing some ferry journeys to be disrupted.
Police imposed speed restrictions on many bridges, and fallen trees and a landslip caused problems on the A9
near Drumnadrochit
. Snow was present on the higher roads such as the M74
at Drumochter in the Scottish Highlands and on the Rothwell
north of Moffat
in Dumfries and Galloway
. Police closed the A93
Glenshee to Braemar
road indefinitely due to drifting snow and high winds. Snow also fell at Lecht ski resort in Aberdeenshire
and falling heavily in the car park (which has an altitude of 2,000 ft) at the Cairngorm
mountain ski resort
near Aviemore
.
In Northern Ireland, police told motorists to exercise extreme caution after reports of ice, flooding, debris and fallen trees on the roads after overnight storms.
Byron Chalcraft, a weather forecaster at the UK Met Office, said the next couple of weeks would be characterised by a deep area of low pressure, strong to gale-force winds and heavy rain, that would move south-eastwards, then cross the English Channel and hit northern France
, Belgium
, the Netherlands
, Nochern, and coastal parts of Germany
. He predicted maximum temperatures of 6 °C (43 °F) and substantially lower minimum temperature, especially in Scotland and Northern Ireland. More thunder and lightning was forecast in western Scotland.
The rain began to lessen over Cherbourg at 16.00. That evening 28-year-old kitesurfer
Adrien Monnoyeur from Toulouse
ignored safety warnings and was killed as the gale in the Saint Jean de Luz resort, near Biarritz
in south west France dragged him at 100 mph across the beach and fatally slammed him down from 50 ft up on to the beach, after hitting the Grand Hotel and a local pier on route.
The storms had winds of up to 65 mph (105 km/h). A weather warning was issued for parts of south-east and south-west England, due to up to 70 mm (2.75 in) of predicted rain and blustery weather expected to fall in the regions overnight. More than 20 mm (0.8 in) had fallen in parts of South Wales
.
The Northlink ferry MV Hjaltland
was due to dock in Aberdeen, but was diverted to Rosyth
as Aberdeen harbour was closed for 18 hours due to bad weather over the 8th and 9th.
There was snow on the higher roads, such as the A9 at Drumochter in the Scottish Highlands
and on the M74 north of Moffat
in Dumfries and Galloway
. Heavy rain had replaced earlier snow in Aberdeen, Braemar
and Dumfries and Galloway. Snow fell continuously at the Cairngorm Mountain resort and the A93 Glenshee to Braemar road was closed because of drifting snow and high winds as blizzard
s were reported around Dumfries.
Fourteen flood warnings were in place for Wales, the English Midlands and North East England
, and a severe weather warning for parts of south Wales. The Met Office warned that showers and thunderstorms were expected in Kent and Sussex from the English Channel that evening. U.K. police warned motorists to take extra care in the flooded and floor risk areas.
The police in Northern Ireland advised motorists to drive with extreme caution due to ice, wind, wind damage and flooding throughout the province.
At mid-day the Met office issued a severe weather alert for the whole UK as Britain was battered by 70 mph winds, with snow in the north of England and up to 3 inches of rain across the east Midlands, south and south east. There were gusts of 65 mph at Berry Head
in Devon and 60 mph in Dundrennan
, Dumfries and Galloway. High winds and waves battered Whitley Bay
in North Tyneside
and gale-force winds hit parts of London, Penbrokeshire and the Pennines.
Warnings of gale-force winds reaching 70 mph and heavy rain were also given in Wales. The morning's snow fell on the high ground between the English north Midlands and Scotland, with the Scottish Highlands particularly affected. Most of Britain had been placed on flood alert. A total of four flood warnings and 37 flood watches were in place across UK, mostly north of the Mersey
and Humber
rivers, and in Cornwall. A severe warning of heavy rain was also issued in south west England (Wessex). Gale-force winds, heavy rain and snow disrupted road, train and ferry services across the UK and Ireland.
High winds and waves battered Whitley Bay
in North Tyneside
. Motorists were rescued by police as six cars were briefly trapped in 5-inch deep snow in Cumbria. Derbyshire
's Snake Pass
also experienced a couple of inches of snow. The only means of travel in Weardale in the north Pennines and parts of Sheffield
were on foot or on horseback. following 6 cars getting stuck in the snow and then another car skidding in to a ditch, the Lake District
's highest road, the Kirkstone Pass
, was closed between 8 am and 1 pm while Cumbria council's road gritters cleared the roads and the police helped free trapped vehicles. When the road re-opened police advised motorists not to use it due to the treacherous weather conditions.
Greater London
was subjected to strong winds and rain. St Paul's Cathedral was shrouded in early-morning mist, before the rain came. Heavy winds and storms battered the coast at Brighton.
Some people braved the snow near Glenshee in the Scottish highlands, where some roads were closed. Motorists on the M74 near Beattock
were advised by the police to drive with caution due to heavy snow in the area.
The strong winds in Pembrokeshire
brought down a tree overnight; other powerful winds shook Oxfordshire, Northern Ireland and parts of the Irish republic.
The storm complex had virtually left Ireland, Wales and Wessex
, and had all but broken up as a whole by 20:00, but had intensified over Northern Ireland and Ayrshire
at 21.00. It remained in several scattered, but heavy bands across the British Isles, with only County Antrim
, Perthshire, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Durhamshire, Cumbria, Lancashire, Norfolk, Berkshire
, southern Hampshire
, Surrey and Sussex being badly affected from 21:00 on the 8th to 03:30 on the 9th.
Forecasters warned that overnight temperatures could drop to between +6°C and -2°C in places, and that up to 35 mm of rain could fall across the north west and in Cumbria with snow at high level on the 9th.
's weather forecaster, Brendan Jones, and the UK's Met Office said the weather would be dry, cold and windy in Hampshire. sadly It was predicted that return to with showers and gale force winds expected on the 13th and 14th. 9 flood warnings were issued by the British Environment Agency across the UK. 6 were in the north east and 3 were in the southern region, with 33 areas around the country were put on flood watch. Access to emergency shelter
was earlier given in a nearby community centre, to those hit by flood
ing (including a new born baby) in a many as 50 in Emsworth
in Hampshire. Residents of the 200-metre stretch of Bridge Road in Emsworth evacuated by police boat and Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service
’s water support services. 10 buildings were also flooded in the Isle of Wight
, the Environment Agency said.
A heavy thunderstorm drove its way across most of Sussex, western Surrey, Hampshire and Wiltshire
from 06.00 to 10.30, but they had mostly dissipated except over Dorset, the Channel Islands
and Normandy in France by 14.00UTC on the 9th. As snow fall occurred across most of the higher ground stretching from the English Midlands
, continuing up the north Midlands towards Scotland, with the Scottish Highlands and Dumfreese and Galloway being worst hit.
Cars struggled snow on the A93 near Glenshee, in the Grampians that morning as five severe weather warnings in place for five southern counties and 14 flood warnings for Wales, the Midlands and the North East and severe weather warnings in East and West Sussex, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight and parts of Dorset.. In Cumbria, six vehicles were rescued by police after five inches (13 cm) of snow forced the Kirkstone Pass
in Cumbria to be closed for five hours until it was gritted. The Highways Agency said flooding had closed one lane of the eastbound A27 near Chichester in West Sussex whilst cops dealt with more than 40 weather-related road incidents, especially in West Sussex.. Drivers were being delayed in the area as more than an inch of rain had fallen at Shoreham Airport
, Blackbird Leys
in Oxford
and at Farnham
, Surrey.
Roads in Pagham
, Middleton
, Selsey
, Bury
, Fishbourne
and Chichester
have all been shut due to flooding according to Sussex Police
.
The AA recorded a busy day for breakdowns on the 8th, with more than 13,000 incidents reported throughout the UK, 2,000 more than normal for this time of year. Heavy rain, cold weather and leaves on the road surface that made cars skid about making cars were responsible for the high number of breakdown related call outs, with Glasgow
, Birmingham
, Manchester
, Nottingham
and Leicester
worst hit.
On the rail network, delays were reported between Durham
and Newcastle upon Tyne
, and on the Southern Railway (Great Britain)
routes.
Both train and ferry services were also noticeably affected as storm force winds lashed the country and by 12.00 on the 9th the Highways Agency said flooding had closed one lane of the eastbound A27 road near Chichester
in West Sussex
, with delays being reported between the A286 and the A259 junctions on the A27 and the Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for East and West Sussex, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight
and parts of Dorset
. Thankfully all was calm again by 21.00 on the 9th as the storm weakened over the Netherlands and Belgium.
The weather was the result of a deep low pressure zone moving east across out of the British Isles and towards northern France and Belgium, then weakening.
Fresh snow fell across the Lake District mountains at Rydal Water, Fairfield Horseshoe and Great Rigg in the Lake District.as high winds brought travel disruption to parts of the UK. Sheep stood around in the snow covered fields and dales near Killhope in Weardale
, Cumbria. Commuters struggled with umbrellas in York city centre flash flooding and heavy winds hit the city.
Both high winds and snow hit Scotland’s Glenshee Ski Centre
. Heavy, but patchy snow was reported throughout Scotland that morning.
Up to 70mm (3 in) of rain was forecast to fall across south-east England, so the Met Office issued severe weather warnings for East and West Sussex, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight and parts of Dorset. There were a total of 14 flood warnings from the Environment Agency in force for Wales, the Midlands and the north east of England due to the intensifying rainfall. Snow was still falling between the Scottish Highlands
and the English North Midlands.
Both road, train, ferry and some air services were also affected as storm force winds lashed the country.
The second storm complex rain moved rapidly across the UK and Ireland between 03.30 and 10.00 on the 11th, with thunder storms and torrential rain being reported near Bristol
, parts of central Ireland and from central Scotland to the English North Midlands. It had reached Belgium and left both Ireland, Wessex and Wales by 10.00.
The area affected by the strongest winds was mainly limited to the coastal areas of Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales. The gale-force winds knocked down trees, damaged power lines and forced the closure of bridges throughout the affected countries. Heavy rainfall associated with the storm also caused some incidents of localized flooding. Damage to property was mainly in the form of tree fall and roof damage to more vulnerable structures. Carmen also caused disruption to travel and electricity networks.
In Ireland, the worst of the storm battered the west of the island, along the Atlantic coast from Kerry
to Donegal
, with large swells and strong wind gusts. A spokesman from Met Éireann
indicated that Donegal was likely the worst hit by the deep depression. The worst hit areas in Northern Ireland are reported to be County Londonderry
, Enniskillen
in County Fermanagh
, and Dungannon
and Omagh
in County Tyrone
. The heavy rainfall triggered several incidents of flooding in Donegal, Limerick
, Roscommon
, Westmeath, Letterkenny
and the Finn Valley. The Irish Farmers Association reported that the River Shannon
burst its banks in numerous places. Several roads were blocked by fallen trees across the island, causing disruption to road travel.
The German Weather Service (DWD) put out a weather warning out on hurricanes with winds over 118 kilometres per hour and rain heavily, especially in mountain regions on the 11th.
In Wales, the highest reported wind gust was reported at Aberdaron
in Gwynedd
as 36 m/s (130 km/h). The Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service
reported many calls about unsafe structures, and trees down on roads.
Heavy wind and patchy rain started again in Oxford
and Banbury
; both had already had five days of it. There was widespread rainfall, with sometimes heavy or thundery rainstorms in Ireland, Northern Ireland, central Scotland, Wessex, Southern England and Normandy between 13.00 and 16.00.
Meteorological
observations show winds were strongest in coastal and elevated locations, with gusts generally in the range of 27–31 m/s (97–113 km/hr), with some reports as high as 40 m/s (144 km/hr). According to media reports winds reached 160 km/h (100 mph) in some locations. These winds caused many trees to fall, one of which struck a car and killed its driver. Inland, winds were slightly lower, generally in the range of 22–27 m/s (79–113 km/hr). Strong winds associated with the storm affected England, Wales and Ireland on Thursday, 11 November, as the storm tracked across Northern Ireland and Scotland. However, property damage was relatively light.
A woman died in Pinderfield's Hospital after being impaled by a tree branch as winds up to 90mph hit Pontefract
at 20.30 on the 11th, West Yorkshire Police said. The man driving the car was also hurt.
A number of homes in the area were evacuated overnight and the A642 Wakefield
to DPA
road was closed until afternoon due to the winds, three fire crews at work, fallen tree branches and the wreckage. Aircraft had to be diverted from Leeds Bradford International Airport
, where gusts reached 100 mph. One plane from Dublin had to switch to Liverpool after making three unsuccessful attempts to land at Leeds-Bradford, with several other domestic flights being forced to fly on to Manchester. Both flights and ferry crossings to the Isle of Man were also cancelled. A wind speed of 100 mph was recorded on Great Dun Fell in the Pennines
. In January 1968, winds hit 134 mph at the same site. The heaviest rain fell in Shap, Cumbria, where 29 mm fell in 12 hours. Both Lancashire and Yorkshire saw rainfall of 7–10 mm in the same period.
The worst-hit places were the Isle of Wight, Anglesey
, Northern Ireland, North West England, Yorkshire and the Humber
. The roads surrounding Blackpool Tower
, including part of the Promenade, were closed due to damage to the tower’s structure. A paving slab hit a fairground ride in Bridlington, causing £30,000 worth of damage. Approximately 5,000 people were left without electricity in Northern Ireland. Light snowfall was also reported in places to.
On 12 November many Belgian rivers and canals rose above the national alarm level, with some of their defenses failing. As the water rose over the weekend, four deaths occurred as the weather hammered Flemish Brabant
, Walloon Brabant
, and Hainault
.
The storm eased there at 16.30 as it nearly all migrated in to coastal Normandy in France, central Ireland, Northern Ireland, Northern England, Scotland and Powys
. There were some heavy outbursts in all of the affected places, except for Normandy. The locations worst hit between 16.30 and 20.00 were around western central Scotland, Perthshire
, Greater Manchester
, Cumbria, Derry
and Sligo
in Ireland. The storms pulled back to Scotland, Northern England, parts of the West Midlands, Northern Ireland and off the cost of the former Grampian
region after 22.00, with a further build up third band of bad weather off the southern coast of Ireland and the north coast of Cornwall after 01.00 on the 12th.
The storms continued over Cumbria, North-East England, Northern Ireland and most of Scotland between 04.00 and 06.00 on the 12th. Tyne and Wear
was the worst affected by the downpours at this time. The third weather band drifted up from off the coast of Brittany
, Cherbourg and hit south west Ireland, Cornwall and the Normandy's Cotinian Peninsula at 07.00 and then began to drive slowly in land by 10.00 UTC; as this happened the Scottish storms dissipated outside of the former Strathclyde
region.
On the morning of the 12th, gusts of 62 mph hit the coast of North West England. The MeteoGroup, forecaster Aisling Creevey said that the strong winds would last for another 24 hours. The wreck-strewn Pontefract road was opened later that day.
It had concentrated mostly around west central Scotland, County Antrim
, south west England, south east England, Greater London
and south west Wales by 13.00, it had reached France's Pas-de-Calais department by 19.00 and had virtually dispersed by 23.00 outside west central Scotland, the English Channel, Normandy, the Pas-de-Calais, Nord, Somme
, Cherbourg and Belgium on the 12th. Heavy rain fall hit the Dutch/Belgian border, Manchester
, Glasgow and Normandy at that time. The original low that started it was blowing itself out of existence as a bad rain storm over Denmark
, southern Sweden and Northern Germany according to BBC News 24's 23.00 weather forecast, with some flooding reported in parts of the German town of Nochern
. Heavy snow also began to fall in and around parts of Polish Gdynia
and Stettinhttp://www.wilsherline.net.uk/.
Local authorities chose to temporarily close the Fehmarn Sound Bridge
on the 12th, which connects Fehmarn
island with the mainland over the Baltic Sea
. A heavily-loaded fishing boat capsized nearby; the captain, who was alone on the boat, was safely rescued from the water.
6 cm of snow fell on North Rhine-Westphalia’s Kahler Asten
mountain, and many trucks were stranded on icy roads in the nearby Ebbegebirge
(Ebbe Mountains) according to police.
The Karneval festivities in Cologne
and elsewhere in the Rhineland were cut short due to safety fears in the high winds. The St. Martin's Day
procession was also cancelled in Aachen
, and several streets in Essen
flooded, but no accidents were reported. There were cases of minor flooding in the Rhineland
town of Nochern
and in the city of Cologne
.
The German states of Lower Saxony
, Hesse
, Rhineland-Palatinate
, Schleswig-Holstein
and Thuringia
also reported high winds, which felled a tree near Hannover that almost hit a passing car, narrowly missing the uninjured driver, who was uninjured. The winds were so violent in the Saarland
that they repeatedly triggered car alarms overnight, the police said.
Two people died in southern Belgium, according to Dutch
and RTBF
. A man was washed away in a street and a 72-year-old woman was killed in her car. Both fatalities occurred during the night of the 13th, in the community of Salve-Saint-Gery, near the French border. By the afternoon another on r body was found in nearby Lessines, where another person was reported to the Belgian authorities as missing. http://www.wilsherline.net.uk/.
Both Gran Canaria
, and Tenerife
in the Canary Islands
was hot and sunny, but saw few violent rainstorms and the odd storm cloud, unlike the rest of the islands on the 12th.
Both heavy thunder and snow storms blew off in the Austrian Alps and in mountainous parts of Bavaria
http://www.wilsherline.net.uk/ on the 12th and 13th.
On the 13th, the Carmen storm system passed all of Germany’s Lenda, bringing heavy rains to all states, except for Sachsen, which only had rain showers. Snow showers also hit Lichtenstein
, most of Switzerland
and the Lorraine
province of France.
Firefighters worked desperately to patch up polders, dyke
s and river defences. The nation's road travel was also disrupted. Rail traffic was seriously disrupted during the morning of the 14th due to heavy flooding, but things soon improved as the local authorities called in the army and civil protection units to reinforce firefighters who had been working through the night. The Brabant region was at the most risk, but Prime Minister
Yves Leterme
said there was no need to declare a state of emergency. Emergency teams made extra effort to reinforce dams, dykes, bridges and canal/river banks.
By mid-day floods hit Geraardsbergen
in Belgium on November 14 for the second day running. Belgium’s weather experts and state authorities described the flooding as the worst in 50 years. The national weather service said Belgium had as much rainfall in two days as it normally gets in a month. Belgium was badly flooded and Liège
cut off on the 14th. People battled the flood waters after heavy rainfall continued in to mid-day in the village of Maarkedal
in the Oudenaarde
region. Rainfall has been severe across Belgium. The flood defences are failing in places.
It was later confirmed that a old woman had drowned overnight near Beaumont
after her husband had lost control of their car and another passer-by had been drowned nearby in a separate incident that night, and a third died and a fourth person was declared missing and presumed dead was later found to be safe in the neighbouring Lessines
all in the southwestern Hainot/Hainaut province according to Lieutenant Fabrice Pierart of the local fire brigade. Another death occurred in the Flemish Brabant
,
Local authorities called in the army, civil protection teams and firefighters to put sand bags down in the affected towns and villages.
In the town of Tubize
town in the French-speaking part of Brabant
, Belgian soldiers evacuated a hospital. Governor Marie-Jose Laby said further rain was forecast for his town.
The River Dendre flooded Brussels heavily, reaching 46 cm above alarm level along with several canals on the 14 November and 200 houses were evacuated. The Meuse basin also received 2 metres above the mean level leading to several mayor
s of the affected Belgian cities are reporting this to be the worst floods in 50 years.
Floods and heavy rainfall began to occurred in the Netherlands on the 14th, leading to extra vigilance from dyke maintenance officials.
Several trees were felled as flood waters hit the Somme and Nord departments. Heavy rains flooded out the centre of the seaside town of Granville
in northern France after 2 inches of rain fell on the region within 24 hours according to Radio France Internationale
. Since the 7th, one person died and one was reported missing in the north and eastern French Manche
department, at the town of Granville.
site.
The cloudburst
continued to fall across Belgium and caused floods and mudslides on the 15th. A nother person was swept away by the floods as she tried to cross a bridge in the south. Army rescue teams helped with emergency evacuations, including a hospital as many of Belgian’s roads were blocked or flooded. Several Belgian regions put disaster emergency plans into operation as a canal has burst its banks in several places near Brussels
leading to more than 200 houses being evacuated and a pharmaceutical factory closed down due to localised flooding.
Although the weather situation was easing, large parts of Belgium. The floods were extensive in both the Flanders
town of Sint-Pieters-Leeuw
near Brussels, in which 200 people were evacuated due to flooding by the mid-day of the 15th. The floodwaters are predicted to peek some time on the 16th.
A staggering 80 litres per square metre was recorded in a few locations, making it the worst Belgian flooding in fifty years.
Despite the 4 deaths (1 northern and 3 southern Belgians) and heavy material losses involved, the Belgian government refused to take any responsibility for the state’s lack of preparedness for flooding. Both the heavily-flooded southern Netherlands and wind-ravaged Luxembourg had no deaths at all in the same period.
The River Maas broke its banks causing localised flooding in the of cellars
of the town of Baarlo, Limburg
and threatening the nearby town of Roermond
, also in Limburg
, after several days of heavy rain. Several roads and Limburg
were flooded, even in the hilly regions of Limburg, and the fire brigade tried to pump out flooded properties and leaf clogged drains on the 15th. Localised flooding has also occurred the east of Noord Brabant province as the local water board has deliberately flooded fields the size of 50 football pitches to stop the river rupturing its crumbling embankments. In the town of Baarlo east at the meeting of 3 minor river that unite and run through the town. They have swollen from 2 to 50 meters at their nearby junction and through the town on the 15th. Luxembourg was affected by the same weather complex, but received little, if any damage. Similar scenes occurred in the north of Par
.
The Anglo-Irish weather eased for the day on the 16th. The floods eased in Baarlo as the rain began to decrease. Major thunderstorms were recorded off the coast of north-east Scotland and the Faeroe Islands and surrounding parts of the North Sea
. Showers and snow squalls were reported in the in both Manche
department of France and the towns of Nochten, and Gorlitz
, Sachsen, Germany during the early hours of that day
at about 10.00 as the rain belt entered the West Midlands between 08.00 and 10.00. Thunder storms and downpours hit many parts of the UK and Ireland as the storm passed over them.
Parts of France and the coast of Portugal
had heavy storms as the storm clouds gathered in the Atlantic between 08.00 and 14.00 on the 17th. The Bay of Biscay
and Iceland
witnessed heavy storms as the storm clouds gathered over the Atlantic between 10.00 and 12.00 on the 17th.
The morning light revealed that the avant-garde Eden Project
eco-attraction, near the flooding vilaged of St Austell
, was flooded closed until Saturday due to heavy damage, the owners said and rivers Exe
, Tamar
and Ax were all rising to their danger levels.
By midday on the 17th, Prime Minister of the UK David Cameron
had pledged to send aid to Cornwall
, as heavy rains and gale force winds brought misery to St Austell
, Lostwithiel
, St Blazey
, Bodmin
, Launceston and Mevagissey
where 100 properties were flooded. Luxulyan
, garage
, Liskeard
and Bude
. Both police and Ben Johnston, flood risk manager for the Environment Agency declared the flooding a "major incident" with hundreds of residents evacuated. The police also warned people not to drive cars or motor bikes in Cornwall for the time being. Schools were closed, the transport network was hugely disrupted and all train services stopped by a landslide at Lostwithiel, with St Blazey, St Austell and Lostwithiel being the worst hit.
The Cornish rains had begun to ease by midday, but the rains in Devon had begun to strengthen. At Prime Minister's question time David Cameron said Cornwall had suffered a "very difficult night".
By mid afternoon the rain was still continuing after a week in parts of the Netherlands, Belgium and Cornwall, but was significantly weaker compared to 24 hours previously. Police and military worked together with a helicopter to rescue people from their cars or houses. The towns of St Austell and St Blazey were the worst off, with significant flooding and loss of property. A new and rather heavy mudslide near Lostwithiel cut off local roads and water completely surrounded the village of Mevagissey which was evacuated.
On the 17 November, the Flanders' hydrology centre classified the rivers Nete, Demer, and IJzer at danger level.
The first causal low finally burnt out over the Gulf of Finland
between 14.00 on the 17th and 16.00 on the 18th. Others batter the Bay of Biscay
over this time span and the French storm belt cliped Switzerland
and Northern Italy
between Heavy storms would also buffet Iceland from 16.00 on the 17th to 16.00 on the 18.
A huge clean-up operation began after 5 cm/2in of rain fell in a few hours across many parts of the county. The Eden project was hopelessly flooded that day.
Several businesses in Lostwithiel
were badly hit. Mud ruined ball gowns worth £3,000 in a clothes shop and one resident said his bakery shop had been "pretty much destroyed" that morning and was still flooded. However, no deaths or serious injuries were reported in the disaster.
According to locals, it was a repeat of the flood the previous year in Pentewan
, in spite of a £1,300,000 flood relief scheme approved by the Environment Agency, which the town’s residents dubbed "money down the drain."
More rain was expected in Cornwall overnight and some coastal showers were expected at the weekend but nothing on the devastating scale of the day before according to Stephen Ellison of MeteoGroup
UK.
By 22.12 on the 17th the worst was declared to have passed by officials, but that future flooding was inevitable as storms continued to batter the UK. The Met Office
predicted dry weather by the Wednesday. Head of Flood Planning and Reporting at the Environment Agency, Phil Rothwell, told the BBC that the events were typical of those arising from poor drainage and the effects of climate change.
A heavy downpour and thunderstorm hit central and southern Ireland from between 21.00 and 23.00. The storms had also largely left the UK by 20.00 except for a strong patch over south central Scotland and Perthshire
. but a new band of weaker fronts hit Western Ireland, Northern Ireland, the Western Isles, Wales, Cornwall and Normandy at 00.00 on the 18th before gradually moving on to western England, western Scotland, Aberdeenshire, Perthshire and eastern Ireland.
Blustery cyclonic thunderstorms continued to pelt Warsaw
, Gdansk
, Gdynia
and most of the Polish
coast throughout the 17th and 18th.
Yet another heavy band of rain hit southern Belgium and the Pas-de-Calais in France between 02.00 and 04.30. It then hit both Belgium's Hainaut province, the Nord, Somme
and Cherbourg in France, and the Channel Islands at 06.00. A downpour hit Cherbourg between 07.30 and 09.30 and Southampton between 06.30 and 08.00. The rain had stopped falling in Banbury
by 01.00 on the 18th.
By 07:15, 18 November 2010, both families and businesses started clearing up after Wednesday's floods left many properties under 1 metres (3.3 ft) of mud, after rivers and streams such as River Fowey
started flooding that morning. Five flood alerts remained in place in Cornwall and light rain forecast overnight was lighter than expected.
The UK's Prince Charles visited the Cornish villages of St Austell
, Lostwithiel
and St Blazey
between the 19th and the 21st. He visited the ruined ball gown shop in Lostwithiel and pledged some financial aid for the people of Cornwall.
The Prime Minister, David Cameron, also had a day trip on the 19th to Lostwithial and St Blazey where he denied that he had misled Parliament when he said flood protection money had been safeguarded in the spending review. He had also said earlier that he had not alluded to plans to reform how flood defences are paid for as the squeeze on public spending started to bite. With more than 100 people evacuated from their St Blazey village homes, now buried in 6 feet (1.8 m) of peak flood water and 3 foot (0.9144 m) of muck, by the helicopters from RNAS Culdrose
and RMB Chivenor as people had to be ferried to safety at a nearby sports hall, the locals had much to complain about.
According to Euronews
' Meteo weather forecast, it would finally became a bad weather band in Scandinavia
, most of Eastern Europe
, some parts of Central Europe
, the Balkans
, Kiev
, Moscow
and Morocco
as of 03.00 to 07.00 of the 19th. The UK was clear of it except in the Scottish Islands and a downpour in Aberdeenshire
, western Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly
from 04.30 to 08.30 on the 19th. All was calm as a heavy mist hit the English Midlands
between 05.00 and 07.00UTC.
Heavy storms continued to hit the western coast of Ireland, Dublin and Northern Ireland on the night of the 18th and morning of the 19th.
Many thousands of people woke up on the 19th and 20th to another day of flooded roads, driving rain and blustery wind as storms continued to batter Northern Ireland. Rush hour traffic was disrupted as drains and fields failed to cope with the amount of rainfall and flooded uncontrollably in several places.
Belfast’s motorists reported flooding on some of the main roads including the Lisburn Road
. Heavy floods also occurred at Dundonald
, where the Rivers Agency
staff were called out to deal with the overflowing waters on the town’s Dunleady Road. The N.I. Roads Service had a similarly busy day, dealing with localised flooding across Antrim and Down throughout the morning as several fallen trees and floods blocked other roads. At the Moira
, two roads were closed in the afternoon after the River Lagan
burst its banks.
By the morning of the 20th, the storms called Beckey and Carmen had dissipated and had died off in northwestern Russia
.
reneged on a long held pledge to protect flood defences from government imposed spending cuts. This included a £100,000,000 plan to protect Leeds
is to be scrapped, but the £14,250,000 Banbury
flood prevention scheme will go ahead according to the November 11th edition of the Banbury Guardian
newspaper. The funds have been cut from £335,000,000 a year to £261,000,000 each year for the next 4 years despite climate change Secretary
Chris Huhne
saying extreme weather would become more common as the years passed. Permanent flood defences are also to be built in Upton-upon-Severn
, Worcestershire
for and estimated to cost £4,500,000 and by Malvern
District Council
. The Irish Dáil had not been as ruthless with its cuts and avoided such heavy flooding in Ireland. Brian Cowen
was the then Taoiseach
(prime minister) of Ireland and it was his cabinet's policies on flooding that helped reduce the storm related damage in Ireland.
Despite of the four deaths and heavy material losses involved, the Belgian government refused to take any responsibility for the state’s lack of preparedness on the issue of flooding. Both the heavily flooded southern Netherlands and wind ravaged Luxembourg having no deaths at all in the same period of time.
were badly hit. Mud ruined several £3,000 ball gowns in a clothes shop. Barry Green, said his bakery shop had been ‘pretty much destroyed’ that morning and was still flooded. However, no deaths or serious injuries were reported in the disaster.
The reparis and new flood defences will cost millions of £ and take about a year to complete like those after the Cumbria
n flood of 2010, caused by the River Derwent
bursting its banks during a heavy series of November storms and which left 1,500 homless.
and the Americas
over the next 5–10 years.
The Eurowind probabilistic risk assessment model that quantifies the prospective risk from windstorms in Europe and is part of WORLDCATenterpriseTM, EQECAT’s catastrophe event modelling software platform and would be used to calculate future prospective windstorm and flooding losses in.
The Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) and CloudSat satellite would be used to asses the extent of any future storms as the first emerged in the atmosphere.
sponsored a three-year-long €275 million catastrophe bond from November 2, 2010, to cover European windstorm risks in the light event such as Windstorm Emma earlier that decade. The nations covered by the bond scheme are Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Axa closed its upsized €275,000,000 catastrophe bond on 2 November to cover itself against potential losses from European windstorms, after upsizing the insurance bond twice in 2010 to meet the heavy investor demand. The Irish firm Calypso Capital will be used to cover against potential windstorm insurance claims in its nine Western European member countries between the 1 January 2011 and 1 January 2014.
Extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are a group of cyclones defined as synoptic scale low pressure weather systems that occur in the middle latitudes of the Earth having neither tropical nor polar characteristics, and are connected with fronts and...
and European windstorm
European windstorm
A European windstorm is a severe cyclonic windstorm associated with areas of low atmospheric pressure that track across the North Atlantic towards northwestern Europe. They are most common in the winter months...
which caused widespread damage in the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
state of Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, then crossed the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
and affected the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
Meteorological history
Windstorm Carmen formed as a low-pressure system off the east coast of the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It hit Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
on 7–8 November 2010.
By 9 November, once south of Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada is the region of Canada comprising the four provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec: the three Maritime provinces – New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia – and Newfoundland and Labrador...
, the system was named "Carmen" as it passed into the North Atlantic near and over southern Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
and the Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland...
, which had been suffering from the lesser storm Becky since the 5th. Arctic Storm Becky died out over Denmark and Northern Germany on the 12th, and its remnants joined windstorm Carmen over Russia on the 14th.
Traveling eastward, Carmen eventually attained a central pressure of 948 millibar
Bar (unit)
The bar is a unit of pressure equal to 100 kilopascals, and roughly equal to the atmospheric pressure on Earth at sea level. Other units derived from the bar are the megabar , kilobar , decibar , centibar , and millibar...
s as it struck the United Kingdom. At 06:00 UTC on Friday, 12 November windstorm Carmen was over the North Sea, east of Scotland, with a central pressure of approximately 965 mb. Carmen was last noted over western Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
on 14 November as it continued to weaken, and had burnt itself out over the Former Yugoslavia
Former Yugoslavia
The former Yugoslavia is a term used to describe the present day states which succeeded the collapse of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia....
, Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
, Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
and the Gulf of Finland
Gulf of Finland
The Gulf of Finland is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland and Estonia all the way to Saint Petersburg in Russia, where the river Neva drains into it. Other major cities around the gulf include Helsinki and Tallinn...
between the 18th to 19th.
United States and Canada
Prior to being named, the system caused widespread damage in the northeastern United States. In Maine heavy rain, sleet, snow, and freezing rain caused significant travel disruptions and at least one traffic fatality was blamed on the storm. Trees were knocked down, vehicles were destroyed and power lines cut South Portland, Maine as storms struck on the night of the 7th-8 November.On November 8 the Central Maine Power Co. said that about 31,500 people had been without power after Maine suffered a major snow storm on the 7th, but that 29,005 had been reconnected in the meantime.
More than 450 utility line workers from Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
and New York State wore at work across the state of Maine. The houses cut off included 14,280 in Cumberland County
Cumberland County, Maine
Cumberland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of 2010, the population was 281,674. Its county seat is Portland, and is the most populous of the sixteen Maine counties, as well as the most affluent. Cumberland County has the deepest and second largest body of water in the...
, 4,227 in Sagadahoc County, 3,674 in Androscoggin County, and 3,982 in Lincoln County
Lincoln County, Maine
Lincoln County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of 2010, the population was 34,457. Its county seat is Wiscasset. It was founded in 1760 and named after the English city Lincoln. At its founding, it accounted for three-fifths of the State's land, and stretched east to Nova...
. Many schools closed due to power outages and at there was least one weather-related traffic fatality in Maine. In Alna, Maine
Alna, Maine
Alna is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 675 at the 2000 census. Home to the Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway Museum, Alna includes the early mill village of Head Tide, noted for its historic architecture.-History:...
minor roads were flooded in low-lying areas and the wind cut electricity to more than 10,000 users across the area: a large pine tree had fallen on a power line, and had broken a telephone pole fifty yards away as it fell. Crews from Tidewater Telecom and Central Maine Power line repaired as emergency management officials reported no major problems from this storm, unlike in November 2009. This storm did most damage in southern Maine and areas to the west such as Augusta. Northeast gales grew stronger, lashing midcoast Maine around the still-operational Owls Head Lighthouse on the 8th.
Staff from the Central Maine Power Co. said on 4:30 p.m. on the 10th that 3,670 customers were still without power in southern and central Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, and that a few people would be without power on Wednesday.
The storm then passed over the Maritime Provinces of Canada on the 8th of November. By 9 November, once south of Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada is the region of Canada comprising the four provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec: the three Maritime provinces – New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia – and Newfoundland and Labrador...
, the system was named "Carmen" as it passed into the North Atlantic near and over southern Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
and the Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland...
,
Severe storms battered parts of north west Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and northern Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
in its wake on the 11th, felling trees and power-lines already hit by the bad weather week earlier as the storms began to ease off.
As part of the storm's endgame
Endgame
In chess and chess-like games, the endgame is the stage of the game when there are few pieces left on the board....
on November 12, 20 inches of snow fell on the T-Bar line on Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
's Breckenridge
Breckenridge Ski Resort
Breckenridge Ski Resort, or just Breck, is perenially one of North America's top 2 most visited ski resorts, and is located in Summit County, Colorado in the town of Breckenridge...
's Peak 8, giving much pleasure to local bobsleigh
Bobsleigh
Bobsleigh or bobsled is a winter sport in which teams of two or four make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sled that are combined to calculate the final score....
ers and skiers. 2 large pockets of heavy snow fell across north eastern Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and Erie
Erie
Erie is a city in Pennsylvania, United States.Erie may also refer to:*Erie , a tribe of Native Americans-Places:*Lake Erie, one of the five Great Lakes of North America*Erie Canal, a canal running from the Hudson River to Lake Erie...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and neighbouring parts of north western New York state on the 12th.
A thick fog covered Mississauga, Ontario on 19 November. Snow came in North Bay, Ontario
North Bay, Ontario
North Bay is a city in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is the seat of Nipissing District, and takes its name from its position on the shore of Lake Nipissing.-History:...
. Gales blown over Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, with heavy rain. There was skating on many lakes in North Vancouver, British Colombia. More than 25 cm (10 inches) of snow fell in parts of Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
on the 19th and the previous weekend
November 8
Both high winds and rough seas battered the western coastline of Ireland on the night of the 7th and 8th. Heavy sleet and rain fell across the Irish RepublicIrish Republic
The Irish Republic was a revolutionary state that declared its independence from Great Britain in January 1919. It established a legislature , a government , a court system and a police force...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
coastal Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
and coastal Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
on the 8th. Minor spot floods hit part of the Salthill
Salthill
Salthill is a seaside area of Galway city, Ireland. It lies within the townland of Lenaboy and attracts many tourists all year round...
promenade in Galway
Galway
Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...
was and the Gardaí were diverting traffic through Salthill village instead, as Assistant Commissioner John Twomey warned of strong winds and debris making driving conditions difficult in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
It got more intense as time passed, and a heavy band of rain hit Western Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
on the morning of the 8th and then hit Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and Wessex
Wessex
The Kingdom of Wessex or Kingdom of the West Saxons was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the West Saxons, in South West England, from the 6th century, until the emergence of a united English state in the 10th century, under the Wessex dynasty. It was to be an earldom after Canute the Great's conquest...
between 04.00 and 07.00 UTC. By 09.00 UTC, the rain had reached most England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Wales and western Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. There was some rain everywhere except Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, eastern Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Orkney, Shetland, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, Highland Region and Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
and minor flooding was reported in Oxfordshire over Radio Oxford. The Channel Islands
Channel Islands
The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...
and Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
's Cotentin peninsula
Cotentin Peninsula
The Cotentin Peninsula, also known as the Cherbourg Peninsula, is a peninsula in Normandy, forming part of the north-western coast of France. It juts out north-westwards into the English Channel, towards Great Britain...
were also hit. The heaviest rain fall between 03.30 and 09.00 was generally over patches of south west Ireland, Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, Dumfriesshire
Dumfriesshire
Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries is a registration county of Scotland. The lieutenancy area of Dumfries has similar boundaries.Until 1975 it was a county. Its county town was Dumfries...
, Morecambe Bay
Morecambe Bay
Morecambe Bay is a large bay in northwest England, nearly due east of the Isle of Man and just to the south of the Lake District National Park. It is the largest expanse of intertidal mudflats and sand in the United Kingdom, covering a total area of 310 km².-Natural features:The rivers Leven,...
, Carlisle, central Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, Parts of the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
and Cherbourg.
The Gardaí attended a crash in County Galway
County Galway
County Galway is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...
that had killed two people due to the road conditions. The Gardai were appealing for witnesses following another fatal nighttime road accident on the Mountmellick
Mountmellick
Other than that its a 15th-century settlement on the narrow Owenass river with an encampment on its banks at Irishtown. Overlooking this valley with its trees and wildlife was a small church called Kilmongan which was closed by the Penal Laws in 1640...
to Emo
Emo, County Laois
Emo is a village in County Laois, Ireland. It is located near Portlaoise on the R422 regional road just off the M7 Dublin–Limerick motorway.The late 18th century village of Emo originally sprang up around the gates of Emo Court...
road at Knightstown
Knightstown, County Kerry
Knightstown is the largest settlement on Valentia Island, County Kerry, Ireland. It lies within the townland of Farranreagh, at the eastern tip of the island. Knightstown has a population of 172 . In the 1830s the then Knight of Kerry commissioned Scottish Engineer Alexander Nimmo to draw up plans...
, Mountmellick in which a male cyclist was fatally injured after being hit by a car, whose driver was slightly injured.
A Brazilian man from the UK’s Midlands region
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
drowned in a car accident that morning on the Offaly–Westmeath border. His car skidded off the road between Rhode
Rhode, County Offaly
Rhode is a village in County Offaly, Ireland. It is situated on the R400 at its junction with the R441 which leads to Edenderry, the nearest town, located 12 km east of Rhode....
and Rochfortbridge
Rochfortbridge
Rochfortbridge is a village in County Westmeath, Ireland, with a population of 1,473 persons. It is located at the intersection of the R400 and the N6 national primary route, which recently bypassed the village....
, hit a roadside bank, and rolled on its roof into the flood-swollen water of the River Monagh on the 8th.
The water levels at Galway Docks and the Claddagh
Claddagh
Claddagh is an area close to the centre of Galway city, where the Corrib River meets Galway Bay. It was formerly a fishing village, just outside the old city walls. It is just across the river from the Spanish Arch, which was the location of regular fish markets where the locals supplied the city...
Basin rose violently in the evening as extensive sand-bagging was put in place at the Spanish Arch
Spanish Arch
The Spanish Arch in Galway city, Ireland was originally an extension of the city wall from Martin's Tower to the bank of the Corrib, as a measure to protect the city's quays, which were located in the area once known as the Fish Market...
, Quay Street
Quay Street
Quay Street is a street in the city centre of Manchester, England. The street continues Peter Street westwards towards Salford. Spinningfields, Manchester's new business district, is to the north and Castlefield, the historical area of the city to the south...
and Flood Street for the short term. County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
was hit by minor flooding, including Cork the city centre during the previous night and flooding was reported shortly after 6.00 pm on the 8th at Penrose Quay, the South Terrace and Sharman-Crawford Street at the peak flow of the high tide. There was a real fear by the Quay’s owners of a heavy tidal flooding of the quay as wind and waves sloshed against it menacingly.
Gardaí Assistant Commissioner Twomey said in a press interview: "Sadly, so far this year over 190 people were killed on the national roads. 35 people were killed during October, making it one of the worst months for fatalities since February 2008". He went on to warn of the hazards caused by decreasing seasonal daylight and a greater chance of encountering wet and slippery road surfaces. In County Galway
County Galway
County Galway is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...
a van and a bus carrying 27 students from Mayo
County Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
to Limerick
Limerick
Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the...
skidded on groundwater and crashed at Glenafosha outside Tuam
Tuam
Tuam is a town in County Galway, Ireland. The name is pronounced choo-um . It is situated west of the midlands of Ireland, and north of Galway city.-History:...
just after 7.30 pm, killing both drivers and injuring 12 of the students. It is understood that the poor weather at the location made driving conditions very difficult.
High winds, driving rain and on occasions snow hit Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. Motorists were urged by the police to drive with caution due to the extreme weather the previous night. Ice, floods and fallen trees affected most roads. The Roads Service Northern Ireland was warning of the risk of ice on roads in the west part of the province, and said it dealt with a total of 49 fallen trees. Gale-force winds ripped through Downpatrick
Downpatrick
Downpatrick is a medium-sized town about 33 km south of Belfast in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is the county town of Down with a rich history and strong connection to Saint Patrick. It had a population of 10,316 at the 2001 Census...
and County Londonderry
County Londonderry
The place name Derry is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire meaning oak-grove or oak-wood. As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form Derry preferred by nationalists and Londonderry preferred by unionists...
overnight. The Foyle Bridge
Foyle Bridge
The Foyle Bridge is a bridge in Derry in Northern Ireland. The central cantilever span of the bridge is the longest in Ireland at 234 metres , and the whole suspended bridge structure including the approach spans is also the longest in Ireland at 866 metres .It crosses the River Foyle to the north...
in the city of Derry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
was closed to high-sided vehicles due to high winds.
The Glenshane Pass was cleared of snow and gritted, but there were 22 incidents of flooding on roads overnight, causing the Castletown Road in Ballynure
Ballynure
Ballynure is a village near Ballyclare in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 677 people in the 2001 Census.The village is effectively split in two by the A8 main road, which runs from Belfast to Larne. A stream called the Ballynure Water runs through it and the houses are a...
and Shore Road in Ballyhalbert
Ballyhalbert
Ballyhalbert is a small village and townland in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is on the east coast of the Ards Peninsula between Ballywalter and Portavogie. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 447 people...
to be closed due to flooding. Several roads closed due to fallen trees, including the A2
A2 road (Northern Ireland)
The A2 is a major road in Northern Ireland, a large section of which is often called the Antrim Coast Road because it follows the scenic coastline of County Antrim....
Kilkeel
Kilkeel
Kilkeel is a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is the main fishing port on the Down coast, and its harbour houses one of the largest fishing fleets in Ireland. It had a population of 6,338 people according to the 2001 Census...
to Newcastle
Newcastle, County Down
Newcastle is a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 7,444 people recorded in the 2001 Census. The seaside resort lies on the Irish Sea coast at the base of Slieve Donard, one of the Mourne Mountains, and is known for its sandy beach and the Royal County Down Golf Club...
road at Bloody Bridge, Ballyloan Road, Slievegrane Road, Ardigon Road all in Downpatrick
Downpatrick
Downpatrick is a medium-sized town about 33 km south of Belfast in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is the county town of Down with a rich history and strong connection to Saint Patrick. It had a population of 10,316 at the 2001 Census...
, Ardkill Road, County Londonderry, and Hollyhall Road in Derry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
.
The N.I. Roads Service salted high ground routes considered to be at risk in the Derry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
, Limavady
Limavady
Limavady is a market town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, with Binevenagh as a backdrop. It lies east of Derry and south west of Coleraine. It had a population of 12,135 people in the 2001 Census, an increase of some 17% compared to 1991...
and Mid Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
areas.
In England a major HSE rail investigation was launched after a morning commuter train skidded along Charing Cross
Charing Cross
Charing Cross denotes the junction of Strand, Whitehall and Cockspur Street, just south of Trafalgar Square in central London, England. It is named after the now demolished Eleanor cross that stood there, in what was once the hamlet of Charing. The site of the cross is now occupied by an equestrian...
to Hastings
Hastings
Hastings is a town and borough in the county of East Sussex on the south coast of England. The town is located east of the county town of Lewes and south east of London, and has an estimated population of 86,900....
line on wet leaves. The train from Charing Cross sped through one station at 65 mph; the terrified driver immediately contacted signal control center to raise the alarm as his train skidded down the track for two miles, after he braked when approaching Stonegate railway station
Stonegate railway station
Stonegate railway station is on the Hastings Line in East Sussex in England. Train services are provided by Southeastern.- Services :The typical off-peak service is one train per hour to London Charing Cross via Tunbridge Wells, and one train per hour to Hastings.- History :The South Eastern...
station in East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
.
The storm formed a column of heavy rain and wind, which was slowly drifting east ward in the area approximately delimited by Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
, Stornoway
Stornoway
Stornoway is a burgh on the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.The town's population is around 9,000, making it the largest settlement in the Western Isles and the third largest town in the Scottish Highlands after Inverness and Fort William...
, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Lincoln, Durham
Durham
Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...
, York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
, Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
, Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
, Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
, Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
, Peterborough
Peterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
, Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
and Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
at 07:30, with the bottom moving to between Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
and RAC
RAC plc
RAC Limited is a breakdown company in the United Kingdom supplying products and services for motorists. Initially formed as the "Associate Section" of the Royal Automobile Club, it was incorporated as R.A.C. Motoring Services Ltd. in 1978. It was then sold by the members of the Royal Automobile...
by 09.00, Dartford
Dartford
Dartford is the principal town in the borough of Dartford. It is situated in the northwest corner of Kent, England, east south-east of central London....
and Southampton by 09.30UTC, Watford
Watford
Watford is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, situated northwest of central London and within the bounds of the M25 motorway. The borough is separated from Greater London to the south by the urbanised parish of Watford Rural in the Three Rivers District.Watford was created as an urban...
and Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
by 10.00. and Dartford and Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
by 10.30.
It had been raining heavily and continuously in Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
, Aberdeen, Stornoway
Stornoway
Stornoway is a burgh on the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.The town's population is around 9,000, making it the largest settlement in the Western Isles and the third largest town in the Scottish Highlands after Inverness and Fort William...
, Perthshire
Perthshire
Perthshire, officially the County of Perth , is a registration county in central Scotland. It extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south...
, Glasgow, Edingborough, Carlisle, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, Bristol, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, Oxfordshire, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
and parts of south western Ireland and along the coastline of County Antrim
County Antrim
County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
between 03:00 and 10.30 on the 8th. The storms left Stornoway as they virtually drifted out of the Hebrides
Hebrides
The Hebrides comprise a widespread and diverse archipelago off the west coast of Scotland. There are two main groups: the Inner and Outer Hebrides. These islands have a long history of occupation dating back to the Mesolithic and the culture of the residents has been affected by the successive...
at 10:30 and Aberdeen by 11:00.
The overnight weather had caused much chaos in the UK. The periodic gale-force northerly winds had hit most the UK at some time during the night. The worst-affected areas of the UK were in the north-west and south-east tip of England. Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, Galloway
Galloway
Galloway is an area in southwestern Scotland. It usually refers to the former counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire...
, Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
and the Lancashire part of the Pennines
Pennines
The Pennines are a low-rising mountain range, separating the North West of England from Yorkshire and the North East.Often described as the "backbone of England", they form a more-or-less continuous range stretching from the Peak District in Derbyshire, around the northern and eastern edges of...
had seen moderate rain or snow that day.
By 09.00 UTC, the Met Office
Met Office
The Met Office , is the United Kingdom's national weather service, and a trading fund of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills...
issued a weather warning saying it had calculated that up to 30 mm of rain was forecast on lower ground. drifting snow was expected in the hills with winds of up to 60 mph in Cumbria, and up to 70 mm of rain was forecast for Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, and East and West Sussex over the next two days. Thunderstorms and up to 70 mm were also predicted to occur in parts of Lancashire and Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
. AA
The Automobile Association
The Automobile Association , a British motoring association founded in 1905 was demutualised in 1999 to become a private limited company which currently provides car insurance, driving lessons, breakdown cover, loans and motoring advice, and other services...
and police warned that some of the roads in Lancashire were flooded, particularly in the towns of Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
, Chorley
Chorley
Chorley is a market town in Lancashire, in North West England. It is the largest settlement in the Borough of Chorley. The town's wealth came principally from the cotton industry...
and Blackburn. Galloway, Cumbrian and Northumbrian farmers prepared for the worst.
Similar weather hit Scotland, causing some ferry journeys to be disrupted.
Police imposed speed restrictions on many bridges, and fallen trees and a landslip caused problems on the A9
A9 road
The A9 is a major road running from the Falkirk council area in central Scotland to Thurso in the far north, via Stirling, Bridge of Allan, Perth and Inverness. At 273 miles , it is the longest road in Scotland and the fifth-longest A-road in the United Kingdom...
near Drumnadrochit
Drumnadrochit
Drumnadrochit is a village inthe Highland local government council area of Scotland, lying on the west shore of Loch Ness, at the foot of Glen Urquhart.-History:...
. Snow was present on the higher roads such as the M74
M74 motorway
The A74 and M74 motorways form a major motorway in Scotland. Following an extension opened on 28 June 2011, it connects the M8 motorway west of Glasgow to the English border at Gretna, creating an alternative route for traffic moving from the south to the west of the city...
at Drumochter in the Scottish Highlands and on the Rothwell
Rothwell, West Yorkshire
Rothwell is a market town on the River Dolphin in the south east of the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, situated between Oulton to the east, Belle Isle to the west, Woodlesford to the north east and Robin Hood to the south west. Swillington, Methley and Kippax are located...
north of Moffat
Moffat
Moffat is a former burgh and spa town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, lying on the River Annan, with a population of around 2,500. The most notable building in the town is the Moffat House Hotel, designed by John Adam...
in Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. It was one of the nine administrative 'regions' of mainland Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government etc. Act 1973...
. Police closed the A93
A93 road
The A93 is a major road in Scotland and the highest public road in the United Kingdom. It runs north from Perth through Blairgowrie and Rattray, then through the Grampian Mountains by way of Glenshee, the Cairnwell Pass and Glen Clunie to Braemar in Aberdeenshire...
Glenshee to Braemar
Braemar
Braemar is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, around west of Aberdeen in the Highlands. It is the closest significantly-sized settlement to the upper course of the River Dee sitting at an altitude of ....
road indefinitely due to drifting snow and high winds. Snow also fell at Lecht ski resort in Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
and falling heavily in the car park (which has an altitude of 2,000 ft) at the Cairngorm
Cairngorm
Cairngorm may refer to:* Cairngorms, mountain range in the Scottish Highlands, and so*: Cairngorms National Park, national park in Scotland*: Cairngorm Mountain Railway*: Cairngorm , a form of smoky quartz, found in the Cairngorms...
mountain ski resort
Ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area - a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and supporting services such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, equipment rental and a ski lift system...
near Aviemore
Aviemore
Aviemore is a town and tourist resort, situated within the Cairngorms National Park in the Highlands of Scotland. It is in the Badenoch and Strathspey committee area, within the Highland council area. The town is popular for skiing and other winter sports, and for hill-walking in the Cairngorm...
.
In Northern Ireland, police told motorists to exercise extreme caution after reports of ice, flooding, debris and fallen trees on the roads after overnight storms.
Byron Chalcraft, a weather forecaster at the UK Met Office, said the next couple of weeks would be characterised by a deep area of low pressure, strong to gale-force winds and heavy rain, that would move south-eastwards, then cross the English Channel and hit northern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Nochern, and coastal parts of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. He predicted maximum temperatures of 6 °C (43 °F) and substantially lower minimum temperature, especially in Scotland and Northern Ireland. More thunder and lightning was forecast in western Scotland.
The rain began to lessen over Cherbourg at 16.00. That evening 28-year-old kitesurfer
Kitesurfing
Kitesurfing or Kiteboarding is an adventure surface water sport that has been described as combining wakeboarding, windsurfing, surfing, paragliding, and gymnastics into one extreme sport. Kitesurfing harnesses the power of the wind to propel a rider across the water on a small surfboard or a...
Adrien Monnoyeur from Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
ignored safety warnings and was killed as the gale in the Saint Jean de Luz resort, near Biarritz
Biarritz
Biarritz is a city which lies on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast, in south-western France. It is a luxurious seaside town and is popular with tourists and surfers....
in south west France dragged him at 100 mph across the beach and fatally slammed him down from 50 ft up on to the beach, after hitting the Grand Hotel and a local pier on route.
The storms had winds of up to 65 mph (105 km/h). A weather warning was issued for parts of south-east and south-west England, due to up to 70 mm (2.75 in) of predicted rain and blustery weather expected to fall in the regions overnight. More than 20 mm (0.8 in) had fallen in parts of South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
.
The Northlink ferry MV Hjaltland
MV Hjaltland
MV Hjaltland is a Northlink Ferries vehicle and passenger ferry based in Aberdeen. She operates daily ferry services between mainland Scotland and the northern archipelagos of Orkney and Shetland.-History:...
was due to dock in Aberdeen, but was diverted to Rosyth
Rosyth
Rosyth is a town located on the Firth of Forth, three miles south of the centre of Dunfermline. According to an estimate taken in 2008, the town has a population of 12,790....
as Aberdeen harbour was closed for 18 hours due to bad weather over the 8th and 9th.
There was snow on the higher roads, such as the A9 at Drumochter in the Scottish Highlands
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
and on the M74 north of Moffat
Moffat
Moffat is a former burgh and spa town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, lying on the River Annan, with a population of around 2,500. The most notable building in the town is the Moffat House Hotel, designed by John Adam...
in Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. It was one of the nine administrative 'regions' of mainland Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government etc. Act 1973...
. Heavy rain had replaced earlier snow in Aberdeen, Braemar
Braemar
Braemar is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, around west of Aberdeen in the Highlands. It is the closest significantly-sized settlement to the upper course of the River Dee sitting at an altitude of ....
and Dumfries and Galloway. Snow fell continuously at the Cairngorm Mountain resort and the A93 Glenshee to Braemar road was closed because of drifting snow and high winds as blizzard
Blizzard
A blizzard is a severe snowstorm characterized by strong winds. By definition, the difference between blizzard and a snowstorm is the strength of the wind. To be a blizzard, a snow storm must have winds in excess of with blowing or drifting snow which reduces visibility to 400 meters or ¼ mile or...
s were reported around Dumfries.
Fourteen flood warnings were in place for Wales, the English Midlands and North East England
North East England
North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
, and a severe weather warning for parts of south Wales. The Met Office warned that showers and thunderstorms were expected in Kent and Sussex from the English Channel that evening. U.K. police warned motorists to take extra care in the flooded and floor risk areas.
The police in Northern Ireland advised motorists to drive with extreme caution due to ice, wind, wind damage and flooding throughout the province.
At mid-day the Met office issued a severe weather alert for the whole UK as Britain was battered by 70 mph winds, with snow in the north of England and up to 3 inches of rain across the east Midlands, south and south east. There were gusts of 65 mph at Berry Head
Berry Head
Berry Head is a coastal headland at the southern end of Torbay, to the southeast of Brixham, Devon, England.-National Nature Reserve:Berry Head to Sharkham Point is a haven for several nationally rare and threatened species which are dependent upon the thin limestone soils, mild climate and exposed...
in Devon and 60 mph in Dundrennan
Dundrennan
Dundrennan is a village in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, about five miles east of Kirkcudbright. Its population is around 230. It is most notable for the ruins of Dundrennan Abbey, a 12th century Cistercian monastery...
, Dumfries and Galloway. High winds and waves battered Whitley Bay
Whitley Bay
Whitley Bay is a town in North Tyneside, in Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the North Sea coast and has a fine stretch of golden sandy beach forming a bay stretching from St. Mary's Island in the north to Cullercoats in the south...
in North Tyneside
North Tyneside
The Metropolitan Borough of North Tyneside is a metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England and is part of the Tyneside conurbation. Its seat is Wallsend Town Hall....
and gale-force winds hit parts of London, Penbrokeshire and the Pennines.
Warnings of gale-force winds reaching 70 mph and heavy rain were also given in Wales. The morning's snow fell on the high ground between the English north Midlands and Scotland, with the Scottish Highlands particularly affected. Most of Britain had been placed on flood alert. A total of four flood warnings and 37 flood watches were in place across UK, mostly north of the Mersey
Mersey
Mersey may refer to:* River Mersey, in northwest England* Mersea Island, off the coast of Essex in England * Mersey River in the Australian state* Electoral division of Mersey in the state of Tasmania, Australian...
and Humber
Humber
The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal River Ouse and the tidal River Trent. From here to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between the East Riding of Yorkshire on the north bank...
rivers, and in Cornwall. A severe warning of heavy rain was also issued in south west England (Wessex). Gale-force winds, heavy rain and snow disrupted road, train and ferry services across the UK and Ireland.
High winds and waves battered Whitley Bay
Whitley Bay
Whitley Bay is a town in North Tyneside, in Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the North Sea coast and has a fine stretch of golden sandy beach forming a bay stretching from St. Mary's Island in the north to Cullercoats in the south...
in North Tyneside
North Tyneside
The Metropolitan Borough of North Tyneside is a metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England and is part of the Tyneside conurbation. Its seat is Wallsend Town Hall....
. Motorists were rescued by police as six cars were briefly trapped in 5-inch deep snow in Cumbria. Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
's Snake Pass
Snake Pass
The Snake Pass is the name given to the remote, higher reaches of the A57 road where it crosses the Peak District between Manchester and Sheffield in the north of England...
also experienced a couple of inches of snow. The only means of travel in Weardale in the north Pennines and parts of Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
were on foot or on horseback. following 6 cars getting stuck in the snow and then another car skidding in to a ditch, the Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
's highest road, the Kirkstone Pass
Kirkstone Pass
Kirkstone Pass is a mountain pass in the English Lake District, in the county of Cumbria. It is at an altitude of .This is the Lake District's highest pass that is open to motor traffic and it connects Ambleside in the Rothay Valley to Patterdale in the Ullswater Valley - the A592 road. In places,...
, was closed between 8 am and 1 pm while Cumbria council's road gritters cleared the roads and the police helped free trapped vehicles. When the road re-opened police advised motorists not to use it due to the treacherous weather conditions.
Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
was subjected to strong winds and rain. St Paul's Cathedral was shrouded in early-morning mist, before the rain came. Heavy winds and storms battered the coast at Brighton.
Some people braved the snow near Glenshee in the Scottish highlands, where some roads were closed. Motorists on the M74 near Beattock
Beattock
The village of Beattock is located in the southern lowlands of Scotland, and lies within the administrative area of Dumfries and Galloway. It is surrounded by the parish of Kirkpatrick Juxta. It was an important stabling point for horses in the olden days with a coach house at one end of the village...
were advised by the police to drive with caution due to heavy snow in the area.
The strong winds in Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
brought down a tree overnight; other powerful winds shook Oxfordshire, Northern Ireland and parts of the Irish republic.
The storm complex had virtually left Ireland, Wales and Wessex
Wessex
The Kingdom of Wessex or Kingdom of the West Saxons was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the West Saxons, in South West England, from the 6th century, until the emergence of a united English state in the 10th century, under the Wessex dynasty. It was to be an earldom after Canute the Great's conquest...
, and had all but broken up as a whole by 20:00, but had intensified over Northern Ireland and Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
at 21.00. It remained in several scattered, but heavy bands across the British Isles, with only County Antrim
County Antrim
County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
, Perthshire, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Durhamshire, Cumbria, Lancashire, Norfolk, Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, southern Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, Surrey and Sussex being badly affected from 21:00 on the 8th to 03:30 on the 9th.
Forecasters warned that overnight temperatures could drop to between +6°C and -2°C in places, and that up to 35 mm of rain could fall across the north west and in Cumbria with snow at high level on the 9th.
November 9
By 03.50 on the 9th, both MeteoGroupMeteoGroup
MeteoGroup is Europe’s largest private sector weather business with forecasting offices in ten European countries and the US, sales representatives in the Far East and Middle East, and customers worldwide....
's weather forecaster, Brendan Jones, and the UK's Met Office said the weather would be dry, cold and windy in Hampshire. sadly It was predicted that return to with showers and gale force winds expected on the 13th and 14th. 9 flood warnings were issued by the British Environment Agency across the UK. 6 were in the north east and 3 were in the southern region, with 33 areas around the country were put on flood watch. Access to emergency shelter
Emergency shelter
Emergency shelters are places for people to live temporarily when they can't live in their previous residence, similar to homeless shelters. The main difference is that an emergency shelter typically specializes in people fleeing a specific type of situation, such as natural or man-made disasters,...
was earlier given in a nearby community centre, to those hit by flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
ing (including a new born baby) in a many as 50 in Emsworth
Emsworth
Emsworth is a large village the south coast of England, situated on the Hampshire side of the border between Hampshire and West Sussex. The village lies at the north end of an arm of Chichester Harbour, a large but shallow inlet of the English Channel....
in Hampshire. Residents of the 200-metre stretch of Bridge Road in Emsworth evacuated by police boat and Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service
Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service
Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory fire and rescue service for the county of Hampshire, on the south coast of England. The service's chief fire officer is John Bonney.-History:...
’s water support services. 10 buildings were also flooded in the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
, the Environment Agency said.
A heavy thunderstorm drove its way across most of Sussex, western Surrey, Hampshire and Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
from 06.00 to 10.30, but they had mostly dissipated except over Dorset, the Channel Islands
Channel Islands
The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...
and Normandy in France by 14.00UTC on the 9th. As snow fall occurred across most of the higher ground stretching from the English Midlands
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
, continuing up the north Midlands towards Scotland, with the Scottish Highlands and Dumfreese and Galloway being worst hit.
Cars struggled snow on the A93 near Glenshee, in the Grampians that morning as five severe weather warnings in place for five southern counties and 14 flood warnings for Wales, the Midlands and the North East and severe weather warnings in East and West Sussex, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight and parts of Dorset.. In Cumbria, six vehicles were rescued by police after five inches (13 cm) of snow forced the Kirkstone Pass
Kirkstone Pass
Kirkstone Pass is a mountain pass in the English Lake District, in the county of Cumbria. It is at an altitude of .This is the Lake District's highest pass that is open to motor traffic and it connects Ambleside in the Rothay Valley to Patterdale in the Ullswater Valley - the A592 road. In places,...
in Cumbria to be closed for five hours until it was gritted. The Highways Agency said flooding had closed one lane of the eastbound A27 near Chichester in West Sussex whilst cops dealt with more than 40 weather-related road incidents, especially in West Sussex.. Drivers were being delayed in the area as more than an inch of rain had fallen at Shoreham Airport
Shoreham Airport
- Sussex Police Air Operations Unit :The Sussex Police Air Operations Unit is headquartered at Shoreham Airport. The unit has been equipped since February 2000 with a MD Explorer, registered as "G-SUSX". The unit is headed by a Police Inspector, assisted by a Police Sergeant and two Police...
, Blackbird Leys
Blackbird Leys
Blackbird Leys is a civil parish and ward in Oxford, England, and is one of the largest council estates in Europe. According to the 2001 census, the ward had a population of 5,803. Unlike most parts of the City of Oxford, the area has a civil parish. The parish was created in 1990. Its 2001 parish...
in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
and at Farnham
Farnham
Farnham is a town in Surrey, England, within the Borough of Waverley. The town is situated some 42 miles southwest of London in the extreme west of Surrey, adjacent to the border with Hampshire...
, Surrey.
Roads in Pagham
Pagham
Pagham is a coastal village and civil parish in the Arun district of West Sussex, England, with a population of around 5,500.-Geography:The village comprises three main areas:*Pagham Beach, coastal area, developed in the early 20th Century,...
, Middleton
Middleton
Middleton may refer to:-Australia:*Middleton, South Australia*Middleton Beach, Western Australia*Middleton Reef, Tasman Sea-United Kingdom:England*Middleton, Cumbria*Middleton, Essex*Middleton, Greater Manchester*Middleton, Hampshire...
, Selsey
Selsey
Selsey is a seaside town and civil parish, about seven miles south of Chichester, in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England. Selsey lies at the southernmost point of the Manhood Peninsula, almost cut off from mainland Sussex by the sea...
, Bury
Bury
Bury is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Irwell, east of Bolton, west-southwest of Rochdale, and north-northwest of the city of Manchester...
, Fishbourne
Fishbourne, West Sussex
Fishbourne is a village and civil parish in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England and is situated two miles west of Chichester. The name derives from fissaburna/fiseborne/fysshburn, all meaning "stream with fish"...
and Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
have all been shut due to flooding according to Sussex Police
Sussex Police
Sussex Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing East Sussex, West Sussex and City of Brighton and Hove in southern England. Its head office is in Lewes, Lewes District, East Sussex.-History:...
.
The AA recorded a busy day for breakdowns on the 8th, with more than 13,000 incidents reported throughout the UK, 2,000 more than normal for this time of year. Heavy rain, cold weather and leaves on the road surface that made cars skid about making cars were responsible for the high number of breakdown related call outs, with Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
and Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
worst hit.
On the rail network, delays were reported between Durham
Durham
Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...
and Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, and on the Southern Railway (Great Britain)
Southern Railway (Great Britain)
The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...
routes.
Both train and ferry services were also noticeably affected as storm force winds lashed the country and by 12.00 on the 9th the Highways Agency said flooding had closed one lane of the eastbound A27 road near Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
in West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
, with delays being reported between the A286 and the A259 junctions on the A27 and the Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for East and West Sussex, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
and parts of Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
. Thankfully all was calm again by 21.00 on the 9th as the storm weakened over the Netherlands and Belgium.
The weather was the result of a deep low pressure zone moving east across out of the British Isles and towards northern France and Belgium, then weakening.
Fresh snow fell across the Lake District mountains at Rydal Water, Fairfield Horseshoe and Great Rigg in the Lake District.as high winds brought travel disruption to parts of the UK. Sheep stood around in the snow covered fields and dales near Killhope in Weardale
Weardale
Weardale is a dale, or valley, of the east side of the Pennines in County Durham, in England. Large parts of Weardale fall within the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty - the second largest AONB in England and Wales. The upper valley is surrounded by high fells and heather grouse...
, Cumbria. Commuters struggled with umbrellas in York city centre flash flooding and heavy winds hit the city.
Both high winds and snow hit Scotland’s Glenshee Ski Centre
Glenshee Ski Centre
Glenshee Ski Centre is the largest ski resort in Scotland and is sometimes referred to as the Scottish three valleys. It is located in Aberdeenshire and to the north of Spittal of Glenshee, on the A93 road between Blairgowrie and Braemar in the southern Highlands of Scotland...
. Heavy, but patchy snow was reported throughout Scotland that morning.
Up to 70mm (3 in) of rain was forecast to fall across south-east England, so the Met Office issued severe weather warnings for East and West Sussex, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight and parts of Dorset. There were a total of 14 flood warnings from the Environment Agency in force for Wales, the Midlands and the north east of England due to the intensifying rainfall. Snow was still falling between the Scottish Highlands
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
and the English North Midlands.
Both road, train, ferry and some air services were also affected as storm force winds lashed the country.
November 10-11
A new band of heavy rain moved eastward over the UK with heavy rain hitting western Ireland between and Northern Ireland 21.00 and 23.00 on the 10th.The second storm complex rain moved rapidly across the UK and Ireland between 03.30 and 10.00 on the 11th, with thunder storms and torrential rain being reported near Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, parts of central Ireland and from central Scotland to the English North Midlands. It had reached Belgium and left both Ireland, Wessex and Wales by 10.00.
The area affected by the strongest winds was mainly limited to the coastal areas of Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales. The gale-force winds knocked down trees, damaged power lines and forced the closure of bridges throughout the affected countries. Heavy rainfall associated with the storm also caused some incidents of localized flooding. Damage to property was mainly in the form of tree fall and roof damage to more vulnerable structures. Carmen also caused disruption to travel and electricity networks.
In Ireland, the worst of the storm battered the west of the island, along the Atlantic coast from Kerry
County Kerry
Kerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective...
to Donegal
Donegal
Donegal or Donegal Town is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. Its name, which was historically written in English as Dunnagall or Dunagall, translates from Irish as "stronghold of the foreigners" ....
, with large swells and strong wind gusts. A spokesman from Met Éireann
Met Éireann
Met Éireann is the national meteorological service in Ireland, part of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.-History:...
indicated that Donegal was likely the worst hit by the deep depression. The worst hit areas in Northern Ireland are reported to be County Londonderry
County Londonderry
The place name Derry is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire meaning oak-grove or oak-wood. As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form Derry preferred by nationalists and Londonderry preferred by unionists...
, Enniskillen
Enniskillen
Enniskillen is a town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is located almost exactly in the centre of the county between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 13,599 in the 2001 Census...
in County Fermanagh
County Fermanagh
Fermanagh District Council is the only one of the 26 district councils in Northern Ireland that contains all of the county it is named after. The district council also contains a small section of County Tyrone in the Dromore and Kilskeery road areas....
, and Dungannon
Dungannon
Dungannon is a medium-sized town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the third-largest town in the county and a population of 11,139 people was recorded in the 2001 Census. In August 2006, Dungannon won Ulster In Bloom's Best Kept Town Award for the fifth time...
and Omagh
Omagh
Omagh is the county town of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is situated where the rivers Drumragh and Camowen meet to form the Strule. The town, which is the largest in the county, had a population of 19,910 at the 2001 Census. Omagh also contains the headquarters of Omagh District Council and...
in County Tyrone
County Tyrone
Historically Tyrone stretched as far north as Lough Foyle, and comprised part of modern day County Londonderry east of the River Foyle. The majority of County Londonderry was carved out of Tyrone between 1610-1620 when that land went to the Guilds of London to set up profit making schemes based on...
. The heavy rainfall triggered several incidents of flooding in Donegal, Limerick
Limerick
Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the...
, Roscommon
Roscommon
Roscommon is the county town of County Roscommon in Ireland. Its population at the 2006 census stood at 5,017 . The town is located near the junctions of the N60, N61 and N63 roads.-History:...
, Westmeath, Letterkenny
Letterkenny
Letterkenny , with a population of 17,568, is the largest town in County Donegal, part of the Province of Ulster in Ireland. The town is located on the River Swilly...
and the Finn Valley. The Irish Farmers Association reported that the River Shannon
River Shannon
The River Shannon is the longest river in Ireland at . It divides the west of Ireland from the east and south . County Clare, being west of the Shannon but part of the province of Munster, is the major exception...
burst its banks in numerous places. Several roads were blocked by fallen trees across the island, causing disruption to road travel.
The German Weather Service (DWD) put out a weather warning out on hurricanes with winds over 118 kilometres per hour and rain heavily, especially in mountain regions on the 11th.
November 12–13
In addition, due to the high winds, several bridges were temporarily shut and most ferry services were cancelled. Power was knocked out for approximately 6,000 homes, though 90% of these had had power restored by the morning of Friday, 12 November. Travel disruptions were also prevalent in Scotland, where the heavy rains and strong winds flooded roads, and ferry services were cancelled. In England, the worst hit areas were the North-West, Yorkshire and the Humber. The heaviest rainfall recorded was 29 mm in 12 hours in Shap, Cumbria, while Lancashire and Yorkshire saw 7–10 mm in the same period. Additionally, the Isle of Wight, which suffered flooding earlier in the week, was again subjected to localized flooding caused by the heavy rains, with crews responding to incidents in approximately 100 homes, mainly in the Ryde which was particularly affected by the week’s earlier flooding.In Wales, the highest reported wind gust was reported at Aberdaron
Aberdaron
Aberdaron is a community and former fishing village at the western tip of the Llŷn Peninsula in the Welsh county of Gwynedd. It lies west of Pwllheli and south west of Caernarfon, and has a population of 1,019. It is sometimes referred to as the "Land's End of Wales"...
in Gwynedd
Gwynedd
Gwynedd is a county in north-west Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. Although the second biggest in terms of geographical area, it is also one of the most sparsely populated...
as 36 m/s (130 km/h). The Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service
Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service
The Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service is the fire and rescue service covering the Welsh principal areas of Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Neath Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire, Powys and Swansea....
reported many calls about unsafe structures, and trees down on roads.
Heavy wind and patchy rain started again in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
and Banbury
Banbury
Banbury is a market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in the Cherwell District of Oxfordshire. It is northwest of London, southeast of Birmingham, south of Coventry and north northwest of the county town of Oxford...
; both had already had five days of it. There was widespread rainfall, with sometimes heavy or thundery rainstorms in Ireland, Northern Ireland, central Scotland, Wessex, Southern England and Normandy between 13.00 and 16.00.
Meteorological
Meteorology
Meteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere. Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the 18th century. The 19th century saw breakthroughs occur after observing networks developed across several countries...
observations show winds were strongest in coastal and elevated locations, with gusts generally in the range of 27–31 m/s (97–113 km/hr), with some reports as high as 40 m/s (144 km/hr). According to media reports winds reached 160 km/h (100 mph) in some locations. These winds caused many trees to fall, one of which struck a car and killed its driver. Inland, winds were slightly lower, generally in the range of 22–27 m/s (79–113 km/hr). Strong winds associated with the storm affected England, Wales and Ireland on Thursday, 11 November, as the storm tracked across Northern Ireland and Scotland. However, property damage was relatively light.
A woman died in Pinderfield's Hospital after being impaled by a tree branch as winds up to 90mph hit Pontefract
Pontefract
Pontefract is an historic market town in West Yorkshire, England. Traditionally in the West Riding, near the A1 , the M62 motorway and Castleford. It is one of the five towns in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield and has a population of 28,250...
at 20.30 on the 11th, West Yorkshire Police said. The man driving the car was also hurt.
A number of homes in the area were evacuated overnight and the A642 Wakefield
Wakefield
Wakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
to DPA
DPA
-Companies and associations:*Danish Pro Audio, the predecessor company of DPA Microphones, a manufacturer of microphones*Dominique Perrault Architecture French architecture agency http://www.perraultarchitecte.com/...
road was closed until afternoon due to the winds, three fire crews at work, fallen tree branches and the wreckage. Aircraft had to be diverted from Leeds Bradford International Airport
Leeds Bradford International Airport
Leeds Bradford International Airport is located at Yeadon, in the City of Leeds Metropolitan District in West Yorkshire, England, northwest of Leeds city centre itself...
, where gusts reached 100 mph. One plane from Dublin had to switch to Liverpool after making three unsuccessful attempts to land at Leeds-Bradford, with several other domestic flights being forced to fly on to Manchester. Both flights and ferry crossings to the Isle of Man were also cancelled. A wind speed of 100 mph was recorded on Great Dun Fell in the Pennines
Pennines
The Pennines are a low-rising mountain range, separating the North West of England from Yorkshire and the North East.Often described as the "backbone of England", they form a more-or-less continuous range stretching from the Peak District in Derbyshire, around the northern and eastern edges of...
. In January 1968, winds hit 134 mph at the same site. The heaviest rain fell in Shap, Cumbria, where 29 mm fell in 12 hours. Both Lancashire and Yorkshire saw rainfall of 7–10 mm in the same period.
The worst-hit places were the Isle of Wight, Anglesey
Anglesey
Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
, Northern Ireland, North West England, Yorkshire and the Humber
Yorkshire and the Humber
Yorkshire and the Humber is one of the nine regions of England and formally one of the government office regions. It covers most of the historic county of Yorkshire, along with the part of northern Lincolnshire that was, from 1974 to 1996, within the former shire county of Humberside. The...
. The roads surrounding Blackpool Tower
Blackpool Tower
Blackpool Tower Eye is a tourist attraction in Blackpool, Lancashire in England which was opened to the public on 14 May 1894. . Inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris, it rises to 518 feet & 9 inches . The tower is a member of the World Federation of Great Towers...
, including part of the Promenade, were closed due to damage to the tower’s structure. A paving slab hit a fairground ride in Bridlington, causing £30,000 worth of damage. Approximately 5,000 people were left without electricity in Northern Ireland. Light snowfall was also reported in places to.
On 12 November many Belgian rivers and canals rose above the national alarm level, with some of their defenses failing. As the water rose over the weekend, four deaths occurred as the weather hammered Flemish Brabant
Flemish Brabant
Flemish Brabant is a province of Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. It borders on the Belgian provinces of Antwerp, Limburg, Liège, Walloon Brabant, Hainaut and East Flanders. Flemish Brabant also completely surrounds the Brussels-Capital Region. Its capital is Leuven...
, Walloon Brabant
Walloon Brabant
Walloon Brabant is a province of Wallonia in Belgium. It borders on the province of Flemish Brabant and the provinces of Liège, Namur and Hainaut . Its capital is Wavre...
, and Hainault
Hainault
Hainault is an area in the London Borough of Redbridge in north east London. It is a suburban development located north east of Charing Cross...
.
The storm eased there at 16.30 as it nearly all migrated in to coastal Normandy in France, central Ireland, Northern Ireland, Northern England, Scotland and Powys
Powys
Powys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...
. There were some heavy outbursts in all of the affected places, except for Normandy. The locations worst hit between 16.30 and 20.00 were around western central Scotland, Perthshire
Perthshire
Perthshire, officially the County of Perth , is a registration county in central Scotland. It extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south...
, Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, Cumbria, Derry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
and Sligo
Sligo
Sligo is the county town of County Sligo in Ireland. The town is a borough and has a charter and a town mayor. It is sometimes referred to as a city, and sometimes as a town, and is the second largest urban area in Connacht...
in Ireland. The storms pulled back to Scotland, Northern England, parts of the West Midlands, Northern Ireland and off the cost of the former Grampian
Grampian
Grampian was a local government region of Scotland from 1975 to 1996. It is now divided into the unitary council areas of:*Moray*Aberdeenshire*City of AberdeenThe region had five districts:*Aberdeen*Banff and Buchan...
region after 22.00, with a further build up third band of bad weather off the southern coast of Ireland and the north coast of Cornwall after 01.00 on the 12th.
The storms continued over Cumbria, North-East England, Northern Ireland and most of Scotland between 04.00 and 06.00 on the 12th. Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear is a metropolitan county in north east England around the mouths of the Rivers Tyne and Wear. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972...
was the worst affected by the downpours at this time. The third weather band drifted up from off the coast of Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
, Cherbourg and hit south west Ireland, Cornwall and the Normandy's Cotinian Peninsula at 07.00 and then began to drive slowly in land by 10.00 UTC; as this happened the Scottish storms dissipated outside of the former Strathclyde
Strathclyde
right|thumb|the former Strathclyde regionStrathclyde was one of nine former local government regions of Scotland created by the Local Government Act 1973 and abolished in 1996 by the Local Government etc Act 1994...
region.
On the morning of the 12th, gusts of 62 mph hit the coast of North West England. The MeteoGroup, forecaster Aisling Creevey said that the strong winds would last for another 24 hours. The wreck-strewn Pontefract road was opened later that day.
It had concentrated mostly around west central Scotland, County Antrim
County Antrim
County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
, south west England, south east England, Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
and south west Wales by 13.00, it had reached France's Pas-de-Calais department by 19.00 and had virtually dispersed by 23.00 outside west central Scotland, the English Channel, Normandy, the Pas-de-Calais, Nord, Somme
Somme
Somme is a department of France, located in the north of the country and named after the Somme river. It is part of the Picardy region of France....
, Cherbourg and Belgium on the 12th. Heavy rain fall hit the Dutch/Belgian border, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, Glasgow and Normandy at that time. The original low that started it was blowing itself out of existence as a bad rain storm over Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, southern Sweden and Northern Germany according to BBC News 24's 23.00 weather forecast, with some flooding reported in parts of the German town of Nochern
Nochern
Nochern is a municipality and village in the district of Rhein-Lahn, in Rhineland-Palatinate, in western Germany. The village has 12 hectares of vineyards facing south down into the Rhine valley. The Rheinsteig walking track passes Nochern.-Also see:...
. Heavy snow also began to fall in and around parts of Polish Gdynia
Gdynia
Gdynia is a city in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland and an important seaport of Gdańsk Bay on the south coast of the Baltic Sea.Located in Kashubia in Eastern Pomerania, Gdynia is part of a conurbation with the spa town of Sopot, the city of Gdańsk and suburban communities, which together...
and Stettinhttp://www.wilsherline.net.uk/.
Local authorities chose to temporarily close the Fehmarn Sound Bridge
Fehmarn Sound bridge
The Fehmarn Sound Bridge connects the German island of Fehmarn in the Baltic Sea with the German mainland near Großenbrode.-Description:The long road and rail suspended deck arch bridge together with associated earthworks crosses the wide Fehmarn Sound. Construction began in 1958 and the bridge...
on the 12th, which connects Fehmarn
Fehmarn
Fehmarn is an island and - since 2003 - a town on this island in the Baltic Sea, off the eastern coast of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, and ca. 18 kilometers south of the Danish island of Lolland...
island with the mainland over the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
. A heavily-loaded fishing boat capsized nearby; the captain, who was alone on the boat, was safely rescued from the water.
6 cm of snow fell on North Rhine-Westphalia’s Kahler Asten
Kahler Asten
The Kahler Asten is an 841.9-meter-high mountain in the Rothaargebirge range in the district of Hochsauerland, in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia...
mountain, and many trucks were stranded on icy roads in the nearby Ebbegebirge
Ebbegebirge
The Ebbegebirge is a ridge of hills up to high in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has given its name to the Ebbegebirge Nature Park and is part of the Süderbergland range of hills within the Rhine Massif.- Location :...
(Ebbe Mountains) according to police.
The Karneval festivities in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
and elsewhere in the Rhineland were cut short due to safety fears in the high winds. The St. Martin's Day
St. Martin's Day
St. Martin's Day, also known as the Feast of St. Martin, Martinstag or Martinmas, the Feast of St Martin of Tours or Martin le Miséricordieux, is a time for feasting celebrations. This is the time when autumn wheat seeding is completed. Historically, hiring fairs were held where farm laborers...
procession was also cancelled in Aachen
Aachen
Aachen has historically been a spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Aachen was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the Kings of Germany. Geographically, Aachen is the westernmost town of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, ...
, and several streets in Essen
Essen
- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
flooded, but no accidents were reported. There were cases of minor flooding in the Rhineland
Rhineland
Historically, the Rhinelands refers to a loosely-defined region embracing the land on either bank of the River Rhine in central Europe....
town of Nochern
Nochern
Nochern is a municipality and village in the district of Rhein-Lahn, in Rhineland-Palatinate, in western Germany. The village has 12 hectares of vineyards facing south down into the Rhine valley. The Rheinsteig walking track passes Nochern.-Also see:...
and in the city of Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
.
The German states of Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
, Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
, Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....
, Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
and Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
also reported high winds, which felled a tree near Hannover that almost hit a passing car, narrowly missing the uninjured driver, who was uninjured. The winds were so violent in the Saarland
Saarland
Saarland is one of the sixteen states of Germany. The capital is Saarbrücken. It has an area of 2570 km² and 1,045,000 inhabitants. In both area and population, it is the smallest state in Germany other than the city-states...
that they repeatedly triggered car alarms overnight, the police said.
Two people died in southern Belgium, according to Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and RTBF
RTBF
Radio Télévision Belge Francophone is the public broadcasting organization of the French Community of Belgium, the southern, French-speaking part of Belgium...
. A man was washed away in a street and a 72-year-old woman was killed in her car. Both fatalities occurred during the night of the 13th, in the community of Salve-Saint-Gery, near the French border. By the afternoon another on r body was found in nearby Lessines, where another person was reported to the Belgian authorities as missing. http://www.wilsherline.net.uk/.
Both Gran Canaria
Gran Canaria
Gran Canaria is the second most populous island of the Canary Islands, with a population of 838,397 which constitutes approximately 40% of the population of the archipelago...
, and Tenerife
Tenerife
Tenerife is the largest and most populous island of the seven Canary Islands, it is also the most populated island of Spain, with a land area of 2,034.38 km² and 906,854 inhabitants, 43% of the total population of the Canary Islands. About five million tourists visit Tenerife each year, the...
in the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
was hot and sunny, but saw few violent rainstorms and the odd storm cloud, unlike the rest of the islands on the 12th.
Both heavy thunder and snow storms blew off in the Austrian Alps and in mountainous parts of Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
http://www.wilsherline.net.uk/ on the 12th and 13th.
On the 13th, the Carmen storm system passed all of Germany’s Lenda, bringing heavy rains to all states, except for Sachsen, which only had rain showers. Snow showers also hit Lichtenstein
Lichtenstein
Lichtenstein is surname of:*Aharon Lichtenstein, noted Orthodox rabbi*Alfred Lichtenstein , an American philatelist*Alfred Lichtenstein , a German writer*Bill Lichtenstein, journalist and producer...
, most of Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and the Lorraine
Lorraine (région)
Lorraine is one of the 27 régions of France. The administrative region has two cities of equal importance, Metz and Nancy. Metz is considered to be the official capital since that is where the regional parliament is situated...
province of France.
Firefighters worked desperately to patch up polders, dyke
Levee
A levee, levée, dike , embankment, floodbank or stopbank is an elongated naturally occurring ridge or artificially constructed fill or wall, which regulates water levels...
s and river defences. The nation's road travel was also disrupted. Rail traffic was seriously disrupted during the morning of the 14th due to heavy flooding, but things soon improved as the local authorities called in the army and civil protection units to reinforce firefighters who had been working through the night. The Brabant region was at the most risk, but Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Yves Leterme
Yves Leterme
Yves Camille Désiré Leterme is a Flemish Belgian politician, a leader of the Christian Democratic and Flemish party , and the 48th Prime Minister of Belgium.Leterme was the Prime Minister of Belgium from March 2008 to December 2008...
said there was no need to declare a state of emergency. Emergency teams made extra effort to reinforce dams, dykes, bridges and canal/river banks.
By mid-day floods hit Geraardsbergen
Geraardsbergen
Geraardsbergen is a city and municipality located in the Denderstreek and in the Flemish Ardennes, the hilly southern part of the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Geraardsbergen proper and the following towns:...
in Belgium on November 14 for the second day running. Belgium’s weather experts and state authorities described the flooding as the worst in 50 years. The national weather service said Belgium had as much rainfall in two days as it normally gets in a month. Belgium was badly flooded and Liège
Liège
Liège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium....
cut off on the 14th. People battled the flood waters after heavy rainfall continued in to mid-day in the village of Maarkedal
Maarkedal
Maarkedal is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Etikhove, Maarke-Kerkem, Nukerke and Schorisse, and part of the hamlet of Louise-Marie. On January 1, 2006 Maarkedal had a total population of 6,468. The total area is...
in the Oudenaarde
Oudenaarde
Oudenaarde is a Belgian municipality in the Flemish province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Oudenaarde proper and the towns of Bevere, Edelare, Eine, Ename, Heurne, Leupegem, Mater, Melden, Mullem, Nederename, Welden, Volkegem and a part of Ooike.From the 15th to the 18th...
region. Rainfall has been severe across Belgium. The flood defences are failing in places.
It was later confirmed that a old woman had drowned overnight near Beaumont
Beaumont, Belgium
Beaumont is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut.On January 1, 2006 Beaumont had a total population of 6,698. The total area is 92.97 km² which gives a population density of 72 inhabitants per km²....
after her husband had lost control of their car and another passer-by had been drowned nearby in a separate incident that night, and a third died and a fourth person was declared missing and presumed dead was later found to be safe in the neighbouring Lessines
Lessines
Lessines is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. On January 1, 2006 Lessines had a total population of 17,848. The total area is 72.29 km² which gives a population density of 247 inhabitants per km²...
all in the southwestern Hainot/Hainaut province according to Lieutenant Fabrice Pierart of the local fire brigade. Another death occurred in the Flemish Brabant
Flemish Brabant
Flemish Brabant is a province of Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. It borders on the Belgian provinces of Antwerp, Limburg, Liège, Walloon Brabant, Hainaut and East Flanders. Flemish Brabant also completely surrounds the Brussels-Capital Region. Its capital is Leuven...
,
Local authorities called in the army, civil protection teams and firefighters to put sand bags down in the affected towns and villages.
In the town of Tubize
Tubize
Tubize is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant. On January 1 2006 Tubize had a total population of 22,335. The total area is 32.66 km² which gives a population density of 684 inhabitants per km²....
town in the French-speaking part of Brabant
Walloon Brabant
Walloon Brabant is a province of Wallonia in Belgium. It borders on the province of Flemish Brabant and the provinces of Liège, Namur and Hainaut . Its capital is Wavre...
, Belgian soldiers evacuated a hospital. Governor Marie-Jose Laby said further rain was forecast for his town.
The River Dendre flooded Brussels heavily, reaching 46 cm above alarm level along with several canals on the 14 November and 200 houses were evacuated. The Meuse basin also received 2 metres above the mean level leading to several mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
s of the affected Belgian cities are reporting this to be the worst floods in 50 years.
Floods and heavy rainfall began to occurred in the Netherlands on the 14th, leading to extra vigilance from dyke maintenance officials.
Several trees were felled as flood waters hit the Somme and Nord departments. Heavy rains flooded out the centre of the seaside town of Granville
Granville, Manche
-Sights:The old town preserves all the history of its military and religious past. The lower town was partly built on land reclaimed from the sea. The upper part of the old town is surrounded by ramparts from the fifteenth century...
in northern France after 2 inches of rain fell on the region within 24 hours according to Radio France Internationale
Radio France Internationale
Radio France Internationale was created in 1975 as part of Radio France by the Government of France, and replaced the Poste Colonial , Paris Mondial , Radio Paris , RTF Radio Paris and ORTF Radio Paris...
. Since the 7th, one person died and one was reported missing in the north and eastern French Manche
Manche
Manche is a French department in Normandy named after La Manche , which is the French name for the English Channel.- History :Manche is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
department, at the town of Granville.
November 15-16
On November 15 a Carmen storm fan site launched an opening salvo in creating an Irish weather enthusiast's blogBlog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
site.
The cloudburst
Cloudburst
A cloudburst is an extreme amount of precipitation, sometimes with hail and thunder, which normally lasts no longer than a few minutes but is capable of creating flood conditions.-Etymology:There are similar names for such events in other languages...
continued to fall across Belgium and caused floods and mudslides on the 15th. A nother person was swept away by the floods as she tried to cross a bridge in the south. Army rescue teams helped with emergency evacuations, including a hospital as many of Belgian’s roads were blocked or flooded. Several Belgian regions put disaster emergency plans into operation as a canal has burst its banks in several places near Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
leading to more than 200 houses being evacuated and a pharmaceutical factory closed down due to localised flooding.
Although the weather situation was easing, large parts of Belgium. The floods were extensive in both the Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
town of Sint-Pieters-Leeuw
Sint-Pieters-Leeuw
Sint-Pieters-Leeuw , is a Dutch-speaking municipality of Belgium located in the province of Flemish Brabant .The municipality comprises the towns of Oudenaken, Ruisbroek, Sint-Laureins-Berchem, Sint-Pieters-Leeuw proper and Vlezenbeek. On January 1, 2006 Sint-Pieters-Leeuw had a total population...
near Brussels, in which 200 people were evacuated due to flooding by the mid-day of the 15th. The floodwaters are predicted to peek some time on the 16th.
A staggering 80 litres per square metre was recorded in a few locations, making it the worst Belgian flooding in fifty years.
Despite the 4 deaths (1 northern and 3 southern Belgians) and heavy material losses involved, the Belgian government refused to take any responsibility for the state’s lack of preparedness for flooding. Both the heavily-flooded southern Netherlands and wind-ravaged Luxembourg had no deaths at all in the same period.
The River Maas broke its banks causing localised flooding in the of cellars
Basement
__FORCETOC__A basement is one or more floors of a building that are either completely or partially below the ground floor. Basements are typically used as a utility space for a building where such items as the furnace, water heater, breaker panel or fuse box, car park, and air-conditioning system...
of the town of Baarlo, Limburg
Limburg (Netherlands)
Limburg is the southernmost of the twelve provinces of the Netherlands. It is located in the southeastern part of the country and bordered by the province of Gelderland to the north, Germany to the east, Belgium to the south and part of the west, andthe Dutch province of North Brabant partly to...
and threatening the nearby town of Roermond
Roermond
Roermond is a city, a municipality, and a diocese in the southeastern part of the Netherlands.The city of Roermond is a historically important town, on the lower Roer at the east bank of the Meuse river. It received city rights in 1231...
, also in Limburg
Limburg (Netherlands)
Limburg is the southernmost of the twelve provinces of the Netherlands. It is located in the southeastern part of the country and bordered by the province of Gelderland to the north, Germany to the east, Belgium to the south and part of the west, andthe Dutch province of North Brabant partly to...
, after several days of heavy rain. Several roads and Limburg
Limburg (Netherlands)
Limburg is the southernmost of the twelve provinces of the Netherlands. It is located in the southeastern part of the country and bordered by the province of Gelderland to the north, Germany to the east, Belgium to the south and part of the west, andthe Dutch province of North Brabant partly to...
were flooded, even in the hilly regions of Limburg, and the fire brigade tried to pump out flooded properties and leaf clogged drains on the 15th. Localised flooding has also occurred the east of Noord Brabant province as the local water board has deliberately flooded fields the size of 50 football pitches to stop the river rupturing its crumbling embankments. In the town of Baarlo east at the meeting of 3 minor river that unite and run through the town. They have swollen from 2 to 50 meters at their nearby junction and through the town on the 15th. Luxembourg was affected by the same weather complex, but received little, if any damage. Similar scenes occurred in the north of Par
Par, Cornwall
Par is a town and fishing port with a harbour on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town is situated in the civil parish of Tywardreath and Par and is approximately east of St Austell. Par has a population of around 1,400.....
.
The Anglo-Irish weather eased for the day on the 16th. The floods eased in Baarlo as the rain began to decrease. Major thunderstorms were recorded off the coast of north-east Scotland and the Faeroe Islands and surrounding parts of the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
. Showers and snow squalls were reported in the in both Manche
Manche
Manche is a French department in Normandy named after La Manche , which is the French name for the English Channel.- History :Manche is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
department of France and the towns of Nochten, and Gorlitz
Görlitz
Görlitz is a town in Germany. It is the easternmost town in the country, located on the Lusatian Neisse River in the Bundesland of Saxony. It is opposite the Polish town of Zgorzelec, which was a part of Görlitz until 1945. Historically, Görlitz was in the region of Upper Lusatia...
, Sachsen, Germany during the early hours of that day
November 17
By 01.00 on the 17th a new band of rain had hit Northern Ireland and Ireland, but had largely moved on to western England, Wales and western Scotland by 06.00. It also hit Devon and Cornwall at 04.00 and move further in land by 05.00. Heavy rainfall began in OxfordshireOxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
at about 10.00 as the rain belt entered the West Midlands between 08.00 and 10.00. Thunder storms and downpours hit many parts of the UK and Ireland as the storm passed over them.
Parts of France and the coast of Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
had heavy storms as the storm clouds gathered in the Atlantic between 08.00 and 14.00 on the 17th. The Bay of Biscay
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Cape Ortegal, and is named in English after the province of Biscay, in the Spanish...
and Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
witnessed heavy storms as the storm clouds gathered over the Atlantic between 10.00 and 12.00 on the 17th.
The morning light revealed that the avant-garde Eden Project
Eden Project
The Eden Project is a visitor attraction in Cornwall in the United Kingdom, including the world's largest greenhouse. Inside the artificial biomes are plants that are collected from all around the world....
eco-attraction, near the flooding vilaged of St Austell
St Austell
St Austell is a civil parish and a major town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated on the south coast approximately ten miles south of Bodmin and 30 miles west of the border with Devon at Saltash...
, was flooded closed until Saturday due to heavy damage, the owners said and rivers Exe
River Exe
The River Exe in England rises near the village of Simonsbath, on Exmoor in Somerset, near the Bristol Channel coast, but flows more or less directly due south, so that most of its length lies in Devon. It reaches the sea at a substantial ria, the Exe Estuary, on the south coast of Devon...
, Tamar
River Tamar
The Tamar is a river in South West England, that forms most of the border between Devon and Cornwall . It is one of several British rivers whose ancient name is assumed to be derived from a prehistoric river word apparently meaning "dark flowing" and which it shares with the River Thames.The...
and Ax were all rising to their danger levels.
By midday on the 17th, Prime Minister of the UK David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
had pledged to send aid to Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, as heavy rains and gale force winds brought misery to St Austell
St Austell
St Austell is a civil parish and a major town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated on the south coast approximately ten miles south of Bodmin and 30 miles west of the border with Devon at Saltash...
, Lostwithiel
Lostwithiel
Lostwithiel is a civil parish and small town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom at the head of the estuary of the River Fowey. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,739...
, St Blazey
St Blazey
St Blazey is a small town in Cornwall, United Kingdom.St Blaise is the civil parish in which St Blazey is situated; the name St Blaise is also used by the town council.St Blazey is situated east of St Austell...
, Bodmin
Bodmin
Bodmin is a civil parish and major town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated in the centre of the county southwest of Bodmin Moor.The extent of the civil parish corresponds fairly closely to that of the town so is mostly urban in character...
, Launceston and Mevagissey
Mevagissey
Mevagissey is a village, fishing port and civil parish in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The village is situated approximately five miles south of St Austell....
where 100 properties were flooded. Luxulyan
Luxulyan
Luxulyan , also spelled Luxullian or Luxulian, is a village and civil parish in central Cornwall, United Kingdom. The village lies four miles northeast of St Austell and six miles south of Bodmin...
, garage
Filling station
A filling station, also known as a fueling station, garage, gasbar , gas station , petrol bunk , petrol pump , petrol garage, petrol kiosk , petrol station "'servo"' in Australia or service station, is a facility which sells fuel and lubricants...
, Liskeard
Liskeard
Liskeard is an ancient stannary and market town and civil parish in south east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.Liskeard is situated approximately 20 miles west of Plymouth, west of the River Tamar and the border with Devon, and 12 miles east of Bodmin...
and Bude
Bude
Bude is a small seaside resort town in North Cornwall, England, at the mouth of the River Neet . It lies just south of Flexbury, north of Widemouth Bay and west of Stratton and is located along the A3073 road off the A39. Bude is twinned with Ergué-Gabéric in Brittany, France...
. Both police and Ben Johnston, flood risk manager for the Environment Agency declared the flooding a "major incident" with hundreds of residents evacuated. The police also warned people not to drive cars or motor bikes in Cornwall for the time being. Schools were closed, the transport network was hugely disrupted and all train services stopped by a landslide at Lostwithiel, with St Blazey, St Austell and Lostwithiel being the worst hit.
The Cornish rains had begun to ease by midday, but the rains in Devon had begun to strengthen. At Prime Minister's question time David Cameron said Cornwall had suffered a "very difficult night".
By mid afternoon the rain was still continuing after a week in parts of the Netherlands, Belgium and Cornwall, but was significantly weaker compared to 24 hours previously. Police and military worked together with a helicopter to rescue people from their cars or houses. The towns of St Austell and St Blazey were the worst off, with significant flooding and loss of property. A new and rather heavy mudslide near Lostwithiel cut off local roads and water completely surrounded the village of Mevagissey which was evacuated.
On the 17 November, the Flanders' hydrology centre classified the rivers Nete, Demer, and IJzer at danger level.
The first causal low finally burnt out over the Gulf of Finland
Gulf of Finland
The Gulf of Finland is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland and Estonia all the way to Saint Petersburg in Russia, where the river Neva drains into it. Other major cities around the gulf include Helsinki and Tallinn...
between 14.00 on the 17th and 16.00 on the 18th. Others batter the Bay of Biscay
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Cape Ortegal, and is named in English after the province of Biscay, in the Spanish...
over this time span and the French storm belt cliped Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and Northern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
between Heavy storms would also buffet Iceland from 16.00 on the 17th to 16.00 on the 18.
A huge clean-up operation began after 5 cm/2in of rain fell in a few hours across many parts of the county. The Eden project was hopelessly flooded that day.
Several businesses in Lostwithiel
Lostwithiel
Lostwithiel is a civil parish and small town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom at the head of the estuary of the River Fowey. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,739...
were badly hit. Mud ruined ball gowns worth £3,000 in a clothes shop and one resident said his bakery shop had been "pretty much destroyed" that morning and was still flooded. However, no deaths or serious injuries were reported in the disaster.
According to locals, it was a repeat of the flood the previous year in Pentewan
Pentewan
Pentewan is a coastal village and former port in south Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated at three miles south of St Austell at the mouth of the St Austell River....
, in spite of a £1,300,000 flood relief scheme approved by the Environment Agency, which the town’s residents dubbed "money down the drain."
More rain was expected in Cornwall overnight and some coastal showers were expected at the weekend but nothing on the devastating scale of the day before according to Stephen Ellison of MeteoGroup
MeteoGroup
MeteoGroup is Europe’s largest private sector weather business with forecasting offices in ten European countries and the US, sales representatives in the Far East and Middle East, and customers worldwide....
UK.
By 22.12 on the 17th the worst was declared to have passed by officials, but that future flooding was inevitable as storms continued to batter the UK. The Met Office
Met Office
The Met Office , is the United Kingdom's national weather service, and a trading fund of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills...
predicted dry weather by the Wednesday. Head of Flood Planning and Reporting at the Environment Agency, Phil Rothwell, told the BBC that the events were typical of those arising from poor drainage and the effects of climate change.
A heavy downpour and thunderstorm hit central and southern Ireland from between 21.00 and 23.00. The storms had also largely left the UK by 20.00 except for a strong patch over south central Scotland and Perthshire
Perthshire
Perthshire, officially the County of Perth , is a registration county in central Scotland. It extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south...
. but a new band of weaker fronts hit Western Ireland, Northern Ireland, the Western Isles, Wales, Cornwall and Normandy at 00.00 on the 18th before gradually moving on to western England, western Scotland, Aberdeenshire, Perthshire and eastern Ireland.
Blustery cyclonic thunderstorms continued to pelt Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Gdansk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
, Gdynia
Gdynia
Gdynia is a city in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland and an important seaport of Gdańsk Bay on the south coast of the Baltic Sea.Located in Kashubia in Eastern Pomerania, Gdynia is part of a conurbation with the spa town of Sopot, the city of Gdańsk and suburban communities, which together...
and most of the Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
coast throughout the 17th and 18th.
November 18 -21
As the bad weather eased, the seasonal wet and snowy weather returned to Poland, with rain in the south and snow in Gdynia. The minor floods caused by the cyclone related thunder storms of the 17th and 18th that came over Warsaw, Gdansk, Gdynia and most of the Polish coastline began to ease on the 19th. All was back to the seasonal norm by the 20th.Yet another heavy band of rain hit southern Belgium and the Pas-de-Calais in France between 02.00 and 04.30. It then hit both Belgium's Hainaut province, the Nord, Somme
Somme
Somme is a department of France, located in the north of the country and named after the Somme river. It is part of the Picardy region of France....
and Cherbourg in France, and the Channel Islands at 06.00. A downpour hit Cherbourg between 07.30 and 09.30 and Southampton between 06.30 and 08.00. The rain had stopped falling in Banbury
Banbury
Banbury is a market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in the Cherwell District of Oxfordshire. It is northwest of London, southeast of Birmingham, south of Coventry and north northwest of the county town of Oxford...
by 01.00 on the 18th.
By 07:15, 18 November 2010, both families and businesses started clearing up after Wednesday's floods left many properties under 1 metres (3.3 ft) of mud, after rivers and streams such as River Fowey
River Fowey
The River Fowey is a river in Cornwall, United Kingdom.It rises about north-west of Brown Willy on Bodmin Moor, passes Lanhydrock House, Restormel Castle and Lostwithiel, then broadens at Milltown before joining the English Channel at Fowey. It is only navigable by larger craft for the last ....
started flooding that morning. Five flood alerts remained in place in Cornwall and light rain forecast overnight was lighter than expected.
The UK's Prince Charles visited the Cornish villages of St Austell
St Austell
St Austell is a civil parish and a major town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated on the south coast approximately ten miles south of Bodmin and 30 miles west of the border with Devon at Saltash...
, Lostwithiel
Lostwithiel
Lostwithiel is a civil parish and small town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom at the head of the estuary of the River Fowey. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,739...
and St Blazey
St Blazey
St Blazey is a small town in Cornwall, United Kingdom.St Blaise is the civil parish in which St Blazey is situated; the name St Blaise is also used by the town council.St Blazey is situated east of St Austell...
between the 19th and the 21st. He visited the ruined ball gown shop in Lostwithiel and pledged some financial aid for the people of Cornwall.
The Prime Minister, David Cameron, also had a day trip on the 19th to Lostwithial and St Blazey where he denied that he had misled Parliament when he said flood protection money had been safeguarded in the spending review. He had also said earlier that he had not alluded to plans to reform how flood defences are paid for as the squeeze on public spending started to bite. With more than 100 people evacuated from their St Blazey village homes, now buried in 6 feet (1.8 m) of peak flood water and 3 foot (0.9144 m) of muck, by the helicopters from RNAS Culdrose
RNAS Culdrose
Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose , based in Cornwall, near Helston, on the Lizard Peninsula, has three major roles: serving the Fleet Air Arm's front line Sea King and Merlin helicopter squadrons; providing search and rescue for the South West region; and training specialists for the Royal Navy...
and RMB Chivenor as people had to be ferried to safety at a nearby sports hall, the locals had much to complain about.
According to Euronews
EuroNews
Euronews is an international multilingual news television channel.It covers world news from what it claims to be a 'European' perspective.Criticisms are that the perspective is in fact that of the European Commission - a major and growing funder of Euronews....
' Meteo weather forecast, it would finally became a bad weather band in Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
, most of Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
, some parts of Central Europe
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
, the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
, Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
and Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
as of 03.00 to 07.00 of the 19th. The UK was clear of it except in the Scottish Islands and a downpour in Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
, western Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly
Isles of Scilly
The Isles of Scilly form an archipelago off the southwestern tip of the Cornish peninsula of Great Britain. The islands have had a unitary authority council since 1890, and are separate from the Cornwall unitary authority, but some services are combined with Cornwall and the islands are still part...
from 04.30 to 08.30 on the 19th. All was calm as a heavy mist hit the English Midlands
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
between 05.00 and 07.00UTC.
Heavy storms continued to hit the western coast of Ireland, Dublin and Northern Ireland on the night of the 18th and morning of the 19th.
Many thousands of people woke up on the 19th and 20th to another day of flooded roads, driving rain and blustery wind as storms continued to batter Northern Ireland. Rush hour traffic was disrupted as drains and fields failed to cope with the amount of rainfall and flooded uncontrollably in several places.
Belfast’s motorists reported flooding on some of the main roads including the Lisburn Road
Lisburn Road
The Lisburn Road is a main arterial road linking Belfast and Lisburn, in Northern Ireland.The Lisburn Road is now an extension of the "Golden Mile" with many shops, boutiques, wine bars, restaurants and coffee houses. The road runs almost parallel to the Malone Road, the two being joined by many...
. Heavy floods also occurred at Dundonald
Dundonald
Dundonald is a large settlement in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies east of Belfast and is often deemed to be a suburb of the city. It includes the large housing estate of Ballybeen, and many new housing estates have emerged in the past ten years....
, where the Rivers Agency
Rivers Agency
The Rivers Agency is an Executive Agency of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development . It is the statutory drainage and flood defence authority for Northern Ireland. DARD is the competent authority for the implementation of the EU Floods directive and has deligated the day to day...
staff were called out to deal with the overflowing waters on the town’s Dunleady Road. The N.I. Roads Service had a similarly busy day, dealing with localised flooding across Antrim and Down throughout the morning as several fallen trees and floods blocked other roads. At the Moira
Moira, County Down
Moira is a village in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is in the northwest of the county, near the borders with counties Antrim and Armagh. The M1 motorway and Dublin–Belfast railway line are nearby. The settlement has existed since time immemorial...
, two roads were closed in the afternoon after the River Lagan
River Lagan
The River Lagan is a major river in Northern Ireland which runs 40 miles from the Slieve Croob mountain in County Down to Belfast where it enters Belfast Lough, an inlet of the Irish Sea. The River Lagan forms much of the border between County Antrim and County Down. It rises as a tiny fast...
burst its banks.
By the morning of the 20th, the storms called Beckey and Carmen had dissipated and had died off in northwestern Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
The political consequences
The floods come at a politically delicate time as the UK's coalition governmentUnited Kingdom coalition government (2010–present)
The ConservativeLiberal Democrat coalition is the present Government of the United Kingdom, formed after the 2010 general election. The Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats entered into discussions which culminated in the 2010 coalition agreement, setting out a programme for government...
reneged on a long held pledge to protect flood defences from government imposed spending cuts. This included a £100,000,000 plan to protect Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
is to be scrapped, but the £14,250,000 Banbury
Banbury
Banbury is a market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in the Cherwell District of Oxfordshire. It is northwest of London, southeast of Birmingham, south of Coventry and north northwest of the county town of Oxford...
flood prevention scheme will go ahead according to the November 11th edition of the Banbury Guardian
Banbury Guardian
The Banbury Guardian is a local tabloid newspaper published in Banbury, Oxfordshire. It serves north Oxfordshire, southwest Northamptonshire and southeast Warwickshire...
newspaper. The funds have been cut from £335,000,000 a year to £261,000,000 each year for the next 4 years despite climate change Secretary
Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change is a British government cabinet position currently held by Chris Huhne. The government department was created on 3 October 2008 when former Prime Minister Gordon Brown reshuffled his cabinet....
Chris Huhne
Chris Huhne
Christopher Murray Paul-Huhne, generally known as Chris Huhne is a British politician and cabinet minister, who is the current Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for the Eastleigh constituency in Hampshire...
saying extreme weather would become more common as the years passed. Permanent flood defences are also to be built in Upton-upon-Severn
Upton-upon-Severn
Upton-upon-Severn is a small town and civil parish in the Malvern Hills District of Worcestershire, England, on the River Severn. According to the national census 2001 it had a population of 2,859. Located from Malvern, the bridge at Upton is the only one across the river Severn between Worcester...
, Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
for and estimated to cost £4,500,000 and by Malvern
Malvern Hills
The Malvern Hills are a range of hills in the English counties of Worcestershire, Herefordshire and a small area of northern Gloucestershire, dominating the surrounding countryside and the towns and villages of the district of Malvern...
District Council
Local government in the United Kingdom
The pattern of local government in England is complex, with the distribution of functions varying according to the local arrangements. Legislation concerning local government in England is decided by the Parliament and Government of the United Kingdom, because England does not have a devolved...
. The Irish Dáil had not been as ruthless with its cuts and avoided such heavy flooding in Ireland. Brian Cowen
Brian Cowen
Brian Cowen is a former Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 7 May 2008 to 9 March 2011. He was head of a coalition government led by Fianna Fáil which until 23 January 2011 had the support of the Green Party and independent TDs.Cowen was also leader of Fianna Fáil from 7 May...
was the then Taoiseach
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
(prime minister) of Ireland and it was his cabinet's policies on flooding that helped reduce the storm related damage in Ireland.
Despite of the four deaths and heavy material losses involved, the Belgian government refused to take any responsibility for the state’s lack of preparedness on the issue of flooding. Both the heavily flooded southern Netherlands and wind ravaged Luxembourg having no deaths at all in the same period of time.
The economic consequences
Several businesses in LostwithielLostwithiel
Lostwithiel is a civil parish and small town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom at the head of the estuary of the River Fowey. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,739...
were badly hit. Mud ruined several £3,000 ball gowns in a clothes shop. Barry Green, said his bakery shop had been ‘pretty much destroyed’ that morning and was still flooded. However, no deaths or serious injuries were reported in the disaster.
The reparis and new flood defences will cost millions of £ and take about a year to complete like those after the Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
n flood of 2010, caused by the River Derwent
River Derwent, Cumbria
The Derwent is a river in the Lake District of the county of Cumbria in the north of England. The name Derwent is derived from a Celtic word for "oak trees"....
bursting its banks during a heavy series of November storms and which left 1,500 homless.
Insurance and risk assessment
European insurers agreed on October the 25th that they needed to hold up to 37,000,000 euros ($51,480,000) of extra capital under new fiscal solvency rules to cover potential losses from windstorm damage in Europe, in the light of events such as Windstorm Emma according to loss and exposure aggregator PERILS. The windstorms were expected to increase in air pressure and strength over EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
over the next 5–10 years.
The Eurowind probabilistic risk assessment model that quantifies the prospective risk from windstorms in Europe and is part of WORLDCATenterpriseTM, EQECAT’s catastrophe event modelling software platform and would be used to calculate future prospective windstorm and flooding losses in.
The Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) and CloudSat satellite would be used to asses the extent of any future storms as the first emerged in the atmosphere.
AXA insurance bonds
The insurance company AXAAXA
AXA S.A. is a French global insurance group headquartered in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. AXA is a conglomerate of independently run businesses, operated according to the laws and regulations of many different countries. The AXA group of companies engage in life, health and other forms of...
sponsored a three-year-long €275 million catastrophe bond from November 2, 2010, to cover European windstorm risks in the light event such as Windstorm Emma earlier that decade. The nations covered by the bond scheme are Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Axa closed its upsized €275,000,000 catastrophe bond on 2 November to cover itself against potential losses from European windstorms, after upsizing the insurance bond twice in 2010 to meet the heavy investor demand. The Irish firm Calypso Capital will be used to cover against potential windstorm insurance claims in its nine Western European member countries between the 1 January 2011 and 1 January 2014.
See also
- 2010 Albania floods2010 Albania floodsThe 2010 Albania Floods refer to several periods of major flooding, notably January, 2010 and December, 2010. Many northern regions around Shkodra, Lezhe and Durres are currently submerged and aid efforts are ongoing.-January 2010:...
- 2010 Central European floods2010 Central European floodsThe 2010 Central European floods were a devastating series of weather events which occurred across several Central European countries during May, June and August 2010. Poland was the worst affected. Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, Serbia and Ukraine were also affected.At least...
- 2010 Northern Hemisphere summer heat wave
- 2010 Var floods2010 Var floodsThe 2010 Var floods were the result of heavy rainfall in southern France that caused severe floods in the department of the Var in the evening of 15 June 2010. As well as generalized flooding, there were also flash floods. Meteorologists say the floods are the worst in the region since 1827,...
- 2010 West African floods2010 West African floodsThe 2010 Nigerien floods were floods across Niger which left over 111,000 people homeless. Niger was already suffering acute food shortages following prolonged drought in the Sahel region. As of 24 August 2010, at least 6 to 8 people had died. The Niger river was pushed to its highest levels in 80...
- Arctic dipole anomalyArctic dipole anomalyThe Arctic dipole anomaly is a pressure pattern characterized by high pressure on the arctic regions of North America, and a low pressure on the Eurasia region. This pattern sometimes replaces the Arctic oscillation and the North Atlantic Oscillation. It was observed for the first time in the...
- Arctic oscillationArctic oscillationThe Arctic oscillation or Northern Annular Mode/Northern Hemisphere Annular Mode is an index of the dominant pattern of non-seasonal sea-level pressure variations north of 20N latitude, and it is characterized by pressure anomalies of one sign in the Arctic with the opposite anomalies centered...
- British Winter of 2010
- Cyclogenesis
- Flood control in the NetherlandsFlood control in the NetherlandsFlood control in the Netherlands is an important issue for the Netherlands as about two thirds of the country is vulnerable to flooding while at the same time the country is among the most densely populated on earth. Natural sand dunes and man made dikes, dams and floodgates provide defense against...
- Global storm activity of late 2010
- Gulf StreamGulf StreamThe Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension towards Europe, the North Atlantic Drift, is a powerful, warm, and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates at the tip of Florida, and follows the eastern coastlines of the United States and Newfoundland before crossing the Atlantic Ocean...
- Muddy floodMuddy floodA muddy flood is produced by an accumulation of runoff generated on cropland. Sediments are then detached by runoff and carried as suspended matter or bedload...
- Winter of 2010–2011 in EuropeWinter of 2010–2011 in EuropeThe winter of 2010-2011 in Europe began with an unusually cold November caused by a cold weather cycle that started in southern Scandinavia and subsequently moved south and west over both Belgium and the Netherlands on 25 November and into the west of Scotland and north east England on 26 November...
- Winter of 2010-2011 in Great Britain and Ireland
- Winter stormWinter stormA winter storm is an event in which the dominant varieties of precipitation are formed that only occur at low temperatures, such as snow or sleet, or a rainstorm where ground temperatures are low enough to allow ice to form...
- Xynthia (storm)Xynthia (storm)Xynthia was a violent European windstorm which crossed Western Europe between 27 February and 1 March 2010. It reached a minimum pressure of 967 mb on 27 February. In France—where it was described by the civil defence as the most violent since Lothar and Martin in December 1999—at least 51 people...