New Year's Day Storm
Encyclopedia
The New Year's Day Storm was a powerful European windstorm
that affected much of northern Scotland
and western Norway
on January 1, 1992. DNMI
estimated the strongest sustained winds (10 min. average) to have reached 90 knots (45 m/s), comparable to a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale. Unofficial records of gusts in excess of 130 knots (67 m/s) were recorded in Shetland, while Statfjord-B in the North Sea recorded wind gusts in excess of 145 knots (75 m/s). There were very few fatalities, mainly due to the rather low population of the islands, and the fact that the islanders are used to powerful wind. In Norway there were one fatality, in Frei
, Møre og Romsdal
county. There were also two fatalities on Unst
in the Shetland Isles. The low figure was probably because it struck in the morning on a public holiday.
In Norway the total damage cost was estimated to more than 2 billion NOK
(1992 values). Norwegian mass media wrote afterwards that it was a 300-years hurricane. Meteorologists suggested rather that it had a wind speed with a repeat period of about 200 years on norwegian territory.
A relief action called Aksjon Orkan was set up, based in Oslo
, a city which was not affected by the windstorm. Reactions among the populace in the affected areas were mixed. The action was supported by the County Governor of Møre og Romsdal, but the mayor of Vanylven
scorned the perceived intent to collect "food and clothes for the windstorm victims", stating the lack of need for such aid. The people behind the action later claimed that this was never the purpose. By the middle of January Aksjon Orkan had collected NOK 600-800,000.
, especially on Shetland.
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...
that affected much of northern 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...
and western Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
on January 1, 1992. DNMI
Norwegian Meteorological Institute
Norwegian Meteorological Institute is the Norwegian national institute for weather forecasts.The three main offices are located in Oslo, Bergen and Tromsø. The Institute has around 500 employees and keeps around 650 paid observers of various kinds around the country...
estimated the strongest sustained winds (10 min. average) to have reached 90 knots (45 m/s), comparable to a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale. Unofficial records of gusts in excess of 130 knots (67 m/s) were recorded in Shetland, while Statfjord-B in the North Sea recorded wind gusts in excess of 145 knots (75 m/s). There were very few fatalities, mainly due to the rather low population of the islands, and the fact that the islanders are used to powerful wind. In Norway there were one fatality, in Frei
Frei
Frei is a village, island, and former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located in the present-day municipality of Kristiansund between the Kvernesfjord and Freifjord...
, Møre og Romsdal
Møre og Romsdal
is a county in the northernmost part of Western Norway. It borders the counties of Sør-Trøndelag, Oppland and Sogn og Fjordane. The county administration is located in Molde, while Ålesund is the largest city.-The name:...
county. There were also two fatalities on Unst
Unst
Unst is one of the North Isles of the Shetland Islands, Scotland. It is the northernmost of the inhabited British Isles and is the third largest island in Shetland after the Mainland and Yell. It has an area of .Unst is largely grassland, with coastal cliffs...
in the Shetland Isles. The low figure was probably because it struck in the morning on a public holiday.
Norway
The New Year's Day Storm was the most devastating windstorm in modern Norwegian history, in terms of material damage. 29,000 buildings were affected, as well as large quantities of productive forest.In Norway the total damage cost was estimated to more than 2 billion NOK
Norwegian krone
The krone is the currency of Norway and its dependent territories. The plural form is kroner . It is subdivided into 100 øre. The ISO 4217 code is NOK, although the common local abbreviation is kr. The name translates into English as "crown"...
(1992 values). Norwegian mass media wrote afterwards that it was a 300-years hurricane. Meteorologists suggested rather that it had a wind speed with a repeat period of about 200 years on norwegian territory.
A relief action called Aksjon Orkan was set up, based in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, a city which was not affected by the windstorm. Reactions among the populace in the affected areas were mixed. The action was supported by the County Governor of Møre og Romsdal, but the mayor of Vanylven
Vanylven
Vanylven is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Sunnmøre region. The administrative centre is Fiskåbygd. Other villages include Syvde, Rovdane, and Myklebost.-General information:...
scorned the perceived intent to collect "food and clothes for the windstorm victims", stating the lack of need for such aid. The people behind the action later claimed that this was never the purpose. By the middle of January Aksjon Orkan had collected NOK 600-800,000.
Scotland
In Scotland the wind was most servere in the Northern IslesNorthern Isles
The Northern Isles is a chain of islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The climate is cool and temperate and much influenced by the surrounding seas. There are two main island groups: Shetland and Orkney...
, especially on Shetland.