Cyclone Carmen

Carmen
Formed	24 October 2010
Dissipated	19 November 2010
Highest winds	160 km/h (100 mph) in Blackpool, England;
Fatalities	13 confirmed (4 Belgians, 3 Irish, ,2 French, 2 American, 2 English)
Damage	Unknown
Areas affected	United States; Europe (including United Kingdom and Russia)

Carmen was an extremely powerful extratropical cyclone and European windstorm which initially caused widespread damage in the American state of Maine, prior to crossing the Atlantic Ocean and impacting the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Meteorological history

Windstorm Carmen initially formed as a low pressure system off the east coast of the United States. It impacted Maine on November the 7th and 8th.^[1]

By 9 November, once south of Atlantic Canada, the system was classified as Carmen as it passed into the North Atlantic near and on top of southern Greenland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands, who had been having stormy weather since the 5th, due to the lesser storm Becky, which preceded Carmen by 4 days. 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, the system eventually attained a pressure of 948 mbar as it struck the United Kingdom. At 06:00 UTC on Friday, 12 November windstorm Carmen was located over the North Sea, to the east of Scotland with a central pressure of approximately 965mb. The storm 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.^[2]

United States and Canada

October

The non-tropical cyclonic storm generated wind speeds of up to 70 mph caused by a severe low pressure zone over Nebraska on the October 24th.^[3]

This animation shows this extratropical cyclone developing, starting late on October 25 and running through October 27, 2010.

Both Akron, Cleveland, Findlay, Marion, Lorain, Mansfield, Toledo, Wooster and Youngstown, Ohio all witnessed heavy winds on the 24th.^[4]

American Midwest was hit by an intense low pressure system which would later become an extratropical cyclone (later known as 'Carmen' in Europe after November 8) between October 25 and 27.^[5]

Its severe weather battered Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio on the 25th and 26 October. Thunderstorms, strong winds, rain, hail, widespread tornadoes and the major 'Chiclone' on the 26th.^[3] Severe weather that hit Illinois and Indiana was dubbed a 'Chiclone' (for Chicago+cyclone) and that it was the region's second strongest storm on record.^[3] The weather station in Bigfork, Minnesota recorded a state record air pressure 955.2 millibars (28.21 inches of pressure), typical of a Category 3 hurricane.^[5] The National Weather Service reported that a tornado with a maximum speed of 115 mph touched down about four miles east of Peotone in Will County, south of Chicago at that morning and traveled 2.9 miles and caused downed power lines and partially destroyed a home. Another tornado was reported to have landed in Racine, Wisconsin.^[3]

Heavy damage was reported in the Chicago area, particularly in Kane, Will, Kankakee, and Iroquois Counties in Illinois and in Porter County in Indiana. The winds had flipped single engine planes on their sides at DuPage Airport in West Chicago aircraft were being delayed by 30 minutes on to O’Hare and Midway airports, on average according to Karen Pride, of the Chicago Department of Aviation.^[3] Power workers tried heroically to repair power lines along Green Meadows Drive in Greenfield, Indiana, but it was tough going. More than 300 flights were canceled at O’Hare International Airport and more than 60,000 ComEd Co. customers without power due to the severe thunderstorm warnings and tornado watches throughout the Midwest. Several other, less powerful tornadoes also occurred in Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana, Wisconsin, Montana, Oklahoma, Nebraska and New York state. 24 of them hit Indianapolis that day. Heavy snow also fell in south western Ontario. No one died.^[3]

A GOES satellite image on October 26, showed the eye of the storm over the storm infested Minnesota/Ontario border zone, with outlying clouds reaching as far as Alberta, southern Nunavut, Newfoundland, eastern Montana, Colorado, Louisiana, Maine and Bermuda.^[5]^[5]^[5]

The storm developed so quickly, that it was declared to be a weather 'bomb', which is a extremely fast developing storm that drops at least one millibar of pressure per hour for 24 hours, which is a more common phenomena over water than on land.^[5]

The morning of October 26, saw tornadoes and storms caused widespread damage from Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio Tuesday. Louisville, Ky; Cincinnati, Cridersville, and Toledo, Ohio, Nashville, Tenn.^[6] Indianapolis was hit at 9 am CDT and Detroit were all later hit during the midday and early afternoon hours. Other cities in the path of these vicious thunderstorms include Pittsburgh, Pa., Buffalo, N.Y., and Charleston, W.Va., early in the night.^[6] Tornado damage to homes was also reported in and around Peotone, Ill., and Kokomo, Ind., while another reportedly uprooted and downed trees onto homes near Racine, Wis. and Chicago was badly damaged during the day.^[6] The storms, rain, show, thunder and tornadoes hit as far apart as Tennessee and northern parts of Alabama , Georgia , Huntsville, Ala., Knoxville, Tenn., New York State, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Night time storm warnings were as Syracuse and Binghamton, N.Y., and State College and Harrisburg, Pa.^[6]

On both October the 26th and 27th, heavy winds gusted up to 78 miles per hour in the state of Michigan, with high winds throughout the Midwest, which was where the metalogical low was centered. The American National Weather Service also reported 61 tornadoes over the two days, with heavy snow also fell in the north and rain in the south of the state.^[5] As it moved across the Americans Upper Midwest toward the Great Lakes and in to eastern Canada, it affecting 13 American states and several Canadian provinces and was the most violent for 70 years and lowest air pressured storm record for the lowest-pressure system ever to hit the Great Lakes is the Great Ohio Blizzard of 1978 that occurred in in January 1978. It had also eclipsed the November 1975 storm that passed Lake Superior and sank the cargo ship SS Edmund Fitzgerald.^[3]

A woman died in a physically separate, but metologically related incident, when her and her friend were strolling on Carmel River State Beach, California when a huge wave before hit them a rip current dragged them 300 ft out to sea to there husband's dismay on the 27th.^[7]

November

Prior to being named Carmen, 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.^[8]

On November 8 the Central Maine Power Co. said that about 31,500 still without power after Maine suffered a major snow storm on the 7th, but that 29,005 had been reconnected in the meantime.^[1] More than 450 utility line workers from Maine and New York State wore at work across the state of Maine. The electrically cut-off houses included 14,280 in Cumberland County, 4,227 in Sagadahoc County, 3,674 in Androscoggin County, and 3,982 in Lincoln County.^[1] Many schools closed due to the of power outages and at least 1 weather related traffic fatality occurred in Maine. Alna, Maine saw minor road flooding in low-lying areas and the wind had cut electricity to more than 10,000 customers across the area. A large pine tree crashed down on a power line, and had snapped a telephone pole fifty yards away as it fell. Crews from Tidewater Telecom and Central Maine Power line crews to make repairs as Emergency Management officials report no major problems from this storm, unlike in November 2009. This storm also focused more of its wrath on southern Maine and areas to the west like in places such as Augusta.^[9] As the American Northeast Gales begin swell and grow in strength, lashing Midcoast Maine around the still operational Owls Head Lighthouse on the 8th.^[10]

Staff from the Central Maine Power Co. said as of 4:30 p.m. on th e 10th, that 3,670 customers were still without power in southern and central Maine and that hand foull of people be without power on Wednesday.^[11]^[12]

It then passed over the Maritime Provinces of Canada on the 8th of November. By 9 November, once south of Atlantic Canada, the system was classified as Carmen as it passed into the North Atlantic near and on top of southern Greenland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands,

Severe storms battered parts of north west Ohio and northern Indiana in it’s wake on the 11th, felling trees and power lines already hit a by bad the weather week earlier as the storms began to ease off.^[13]

As part of ite end game on November 12 20 inches of snow fell on the T-Bar line on Colorado's Breckenridge's Peak 8, giving much pleaure to local bobslaighers and skiers.^[14] 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.^[15]

Europe

The 2010 European windstorms were heavy windstorms that hit the UK, Ireland, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Denmark between November 6 and 18.

November 6th-7th

A complex of heavy rain and thunder storms hit the British Isles with patchy rain falling in western most Ireland, Argyll and Oxfordshire since the morning of the 7th and most of Ireland on the 6th.^[16] Heavy rain began falling in western most Ireland, Cornwall and Oxfordshire over the evening of the 7th.^[16] and winds began to pick up in Banburyshire, Birmingham and Oxfordshire.

November 8th

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 Republic, Northern Ireland coastal Lancashire, Cumbria and coastal Wales on the 8th.^[16]^[17]Minor spot floods hit part of the Salthill promenade in Galway was and the Gardaí were diverting traffic throughSalthill village instead, as Assistant Commissioner John Twomey warned of strong winds and debris making driving conditions difficult in Ireland.^[17]

It got more intense as time passed and a heavy band of rain hit Western Ireland on the morning of the 8th^[16] and then hit Wales and Wessex between 04.00 and 07.00UTC. By 09.00 UTC, the rain had reached most England, Wales and western Scotland.^[16] Some rain was everyway except in Dorset, Somerset, eastern Ireland, Orkneys, Shetlands, Northern Ireland, Highland Region and Norfolk ^[16] and minor flooding was reported in Oxfordshire over Radio Oxford. The Channel Islands and Normandy's Cotinine Peninsular were also hit.^[16] The heaviest rain fall between 03.30 and 09.00 was generally over patches of south west Ireland, Pembrokeshire, Bristol, Dumfriesshire Morecombe Bay, Carlisle, central Lancashire, Sussex, Surrey, Parts of the English Channel and Cherbourg.^[16]

The Gardaí were a crash which had County Galway that had killed 2 people due to are some concerns surrounding the road conditions.^[17] The Gardai were appealing for witnesses following another fatal night timer road traffic on the Mountmellick to EmoRoad at Knightstown, Mountmellick in which a male cyclist was fatally injured after being run down by a car. The car driver was also slightly injured.^[17]

A Brazilian man from the UK’s Midlands region drowned in an car accident that morning on the Offaly/Westmeath border. His car skidded off the road between Rhode and Rochfortbridge , the vehicle hit a roadside bank and rolled on its roof into the flood-swollen water of the rice the River Monagh on the 8th.^[17]

The water levels at Galway Docks and the Claddagh Basin rose violently in the eavning 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 6.00pm 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.^[17]

The Gardaí’s 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 also warn of the hazards caused by decreasing seasonal daylight and a greater chance of encountering wet and slippery road surfaces.^[17] The Gardaí were a crash which had County Galway that had killed 2 people due to are some concerns surrounding the road conditions^[17] after a van and a bus that was carrying 27 students from Mayo to Limerick skidded on ground water crashed at Glenafosha outside Tuam just after 7.30pm, killing both drivers and injuring 12 of the students. It is understood that the poor weather at the location made driving conditions very difficult.^[17]

Both High winds, driving rain and on occasions snow hit Northern Ireland motorists being urged by the police to drive with caution due to the extreme weather the previous overnight. Ice, floods and fallen trees were across most of the roads. The Roads Service 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 trough Downpatrick and County Londonderry overnight. It is understood that the Foyle Bridge in the city of Derry is closed to high-sided vehicles, due to high winds.^[18] The Glenshane Pass was cleared of snow and gritted, but there were also 22 incidents of flooding on roads overnight, leading to the roads being closed due to flooding were the Castletown Road in Ballynure and Shore Road in Ballyhalbert . 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.^[18]

The Roads Service Salted high ground routes considered thought to be at risk in the Derry, Limavady and Mid-Ulster areas.^[18]

A major HSE rail investigation has been 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 as the terrified driver immediately contacted signal control center to raise the alarm as his train skidded down the track for 2 miles, after he braked when approaching Stonegate railway station station in East Sussex.^[19]^[20]^[21]

The storm formed a coulomb of heavy rain and wind, which was slowly drifting east ward and roughly fitted between these towns- Aberdeen, Stornaway, 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.^[16]

It had been raining heavily in both Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen, Stornaway, Perthshire, Glasgow, Edingborough, Carlisle, Lancashire, Bristol, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk and parts of south western Ireland and along the coastline of County Antrim continusly between 03.00 and 10.30 on the 8th.^[16] The storms left Stornaway as they virtually drifted out of the Hebrides at 10.30 and Aberdeen by 11.00.^[16]

The over night weather had caused much chaos in the UK.^[22] 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.^[22] Cornwall, Galloway, Cumbria and the Lancashire part of the Pennines had seen moderate rain and/or snow that day.^[22]

By 09.00 UTC, The Met Office issued a weather warning saying it had calculated that up to 30mm of rain was forecast on lower ground and drifting snow is expected in the hills with winds of up to 60 mph in Cumbria and up to 70mm of rain is forecast for Kent, and East and West Sussex over the next two days. Thunderstorms and up to 70mm were also predicted to occur in parts of Lancashire and Greater Manchester. AA, A82 and Police warned that some of the roads in Lancashire were flooded, particularly in the towns of Bolton, Chorley and Blackburn.^[22] Both Galloway, Cumbrian and Northumbrian farmers prepared for the worst.

Similar weather hit Scotland, causing some ferries journeys to be disrupted.^[22]

Police inposed speed restrictions on many bridges and fallen trees and a landslip both caused problems on the A9 near Drumnadrochit. There was also some snow on 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 for the foreseeable future 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.^[22]

In Northern Ireland, police told motorists extreme caution after reports of ice, flooding, debris and fallen trees on the roads after overnight storms.^[22]

Mr Byron Chalcraft, a top weather forecaster at the UK's Met Office, said the next couple of weeks would be characterised the deep area of low pressure, strong to gale-force winds and heavy rain, that woud move south-eastwards and ending up over the English Channel, before hitting northern France, Belgium, the Netherlands, across the German of Nochern and coastal parts of Germany.^[22] He predicted high temperatures were of only 6 °C (43 °F), with substantially lower bottom temperature, especially in Scotland and Northern Ireland. More Thunder and lightning was also forecast in western Scotland.^[22]

The rain began to lessen over Cherbourg at 16.00.^[16] That eavning a 28-year-old Kitesurfer from Toulouse ignored safety warnings and died as the gale in the Saint Jean de Luz resort, near Biarritz in south west France dragged him 100 mph across beach and slammed him down from 50 ft on to the beach in question, after hitting the Grand Hotel and a local pier on route. Adrien Monnoyeur died in hospital due to the violent nature of the impact.^[23]^[24]

The storms had winds of up to 65 mph (105 km/h). A weather warning was been issued for parts of south-east and south-west England, due to up to 70mm (2.75 in) of predicted rain and blustery weather expected to fall in the regions overnight. More than 20mm (0.8 in) had fallen in parts of South Wales.^[25]

The Nordlink ferry M.V. Hjaltland was due to dock in Aberdeen, but was diverted to Rosyth^[25] as Aberdeen harbour was closed for 18 hours due to bad weather^[16] over the 8th and 9th.^[26]

There was snow on the geographicly higher roads such as the A9 at Drumochter in the Scottish Highlands and on the M74 north of Moffat in Dumfries and Galloway, with 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 blizards are reported around Dumfreese.^[25]

Fourteen flood warnings are in place for Wales, the English Midlands and North East England, along with a severe weather is in place for parts of south Wales. The Met Office warned of showers and thunderstorms are expected in Kent and Sussex from the English Channel that evening.^[25] U.K. Police warned motorists to take extra care in the flooded and floor risk areas.^[25]

The police in Northern Ireland, motorists were advised to drive with extreme caution due to ice, wind, wind damage and flooding throughout the province.^[25]

By mid-day, the Met office issued a severe weather alert for the whole UK as Britain 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. Britain was also hit by strong winds, with 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 hip parts of London, Penbrokeshire and the Pennie mountains.^[27]^[27]^[27]^[28]^[28]^[28]

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 from the English Midlands to Scotland with a region from the English North Midlands towards Scotland, with the Scottish Highlands particularly affected. Most of Britain had been placed on flood alert. A total of 4 flood warnings and 37 flood watches in place across UK, mostly north of the there Mersey and Humber or in Cornwall. A severe warning of heavy rain was also issued in south west England (Wessex). Both gale-force winds, heavy rain and snow disrupted both road, train and ferry services across the UK and Ireland.^[27]^[27]^[28]^[29]

High winds and waves batted Whitley Bay in North Tyneside. Motorists were rescued by police as 6 cars were briefley trapped in 5 inches deep of Cumbria snow. Derbyshire's Snake Pass also experienced a couple of inches of snow. walking and horse riding was the only means of travel in Weardale in the north Pennines and parts of Sheffield.^[27]^[27]^[28]^[28]^[30] following 6 cars getting stuck in the snow and then another car skidding in to a ditch,^[31] the Lake District's highest road, the Kirkstone Pass, was closed between 8am and 1pm while Cumbria council's road gritters cleared the roads and the police helped free any trapped vehicles.when the road re-open, police advised motorists not to use it due to the treacherous weather conditions there. PC Paul Burke of Ambleside Police commented that it was the beginning of the local winter 'snowy season' an motorists had to take care.^[27]^[28]

Hundreds of commuters struggled past the Houses of Parliament in a cloudy London, with their umbrellas up, as both strong winds and rain were also falling on in Greater London. St Paul's Cathedral was also shrouded in early-morning mist, before the rain came.^[27]^[27]^[28]^[28] Heavy winds and storms batter the coast at Brighton.^[32]

Some people braved the snow the snow near Glenshee, Scotland, were A93 near Glenshee in the 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.^[27]^[27]^[28]^[28]^[30]

The strong winds in Pembrokeshire brought down a tree overnight and other powerful winds shook Oxfordshire, Northern Ierland and parts the Irish republic.^[27]^[28]

The Storm complex had virtually left both 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 effected from 21.00 on the 8th to 03.30 on the 9th.^[25]

Forecasters also warned that overnight temperatures could drop to between +6C to -2C in places and that up to 35mm of rain could fall across the north west and in Cumbria with snow at high level on the 9th.^[32]

November 9th

By 03.50 on the 9th, both MeteoGroup'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.^[33]^[34] 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.^[33]^[34] Acsess to Emergency shelter was earlier given in a nearby community centre, to those hit by flooding (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 servaces. 10 building were also flooded in the Isle of Wight, the Environment Agency said.^[33]^[34]

A heavy thunderstorm drove its way across across most of Sussex, western Surrey, Hampshire and Wiltshire from 06.00 to 10.30, but they had mostly disopeated exsept over Dorset, the Channel Islands and Normandy in France by 14.00UTC on the 9th.^[16] As snow fall occered 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.^[26] .

Cars struggled snow on the A93 near Glenshee, in the Grampians that morning as 5 Severe weather warnings in place for five southern counties and 14 flood warnings for Wales, the Midlands and the North East and servere 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 (13cm) of snow forced TheKirkstone Pass in Cumbria to be close for 5 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 ^[35].

Roads inPagham, Middleton, Selsey, Bury, Fishbourne and Chichester have all been shut due to flooding according to Sussex Police ^[36].

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 hi^[37]t. On the rail network, delays were reported between Durham and Newcastle, and on the Southern Railways routes^[38].

The south-east is expected to bear the brunt of heavy and thundery downpours with the potential for up to 70mm of rainwater to fall, with storms expected towards the end of the week after a brief pause tomorrow^[39].

Both train and ferry services were also noticeably affected as storm force winds lashed the country^[26] 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 deays being reported between the A286 and the A259 junctions on the A27^[26] and the Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for East and West Sussex, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight and parts of Dorset.^[26] Thankfully all was calm again by 21.00 on the 9th as the storm weakened over the Netherlands and Belgium.^[16]

The weather was the result of a deep low pressure zone , which will moving east across out of the British Isles and towards northern France and Belgium and weakening over those nations through out the day^[16]^[26]

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.^[40]

Locals started to clean up the flooded Bridge Road in Emsworth, Hampshire after yesterday’s flash flooding in their street.^[40]

Both high winds and snow hit Scotland’s Glenshee Ski Centre. Heavy, but patchy snow was reported throughout Scotland that morning.^[40]

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.^[40]

Both road, train, ferry and some air services were also affected as storm force winds lashed the country.^[40]

The growing financial impact

The insurance giant Allianz's 3rd-quarter earnings down 8% down to $1,750,000,000 due to that bussiness quarter's heavy storm actitiy.^[41]

November 10th-13th

A new band of heavy rain moved eastward over the U.K. with heavy rain hitting western Ireland between and Northern Ireland 21.00 and 23.00 on the 10th.^[16]

The 2nd storm complex rain moved rapidly across the U.K. and Ireland between 03.30 and 10.00 on the 11th,^[16] with thunder storms and torrential rain being reported near Bristol, parts of central Ireland and from central Scotland to the English North Midlands.^[16] It had reached Belgium and left both Ireland, Wessex and Wales by 10.00.^[16]

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.^[42]

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.^[43] 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.

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 this morning, 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 29mm in 12 hours in Shap, Cumbria, while Lancashire and Yorkshire saw 7-10mm 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 recorded at Aberdaron in Gwynedd as 36 m/s (130 km/h), though this is unconfirmed at this point. The Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service has reported numerous calls regarding unsafe structures and trees down on roads.

Both the heavy wind and patchy rain started falling yet again in Oxford and Banbury, both had exsperenced 5 days of it so far. Widespread rainfall rain storms and sometimes heay or thundery ones hit Ireland, Northern Ierland, central Scotland, Wessex, Southern England and Normandy between 13.00 and 16.00.^[16]

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), though 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 resulted in numerous downed trees, one of which struck a car and killed its driver.^[44] 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, windstorm Carmen’s impact has been relatively light in terms of damage to properties.

The woman died in Pinderfield's Hospital, after being impaled by tree branch as winds up to 90 mph hit Pontefract at 20.30 on the 11th, West Yorkshire Police said the woman. A man who was driving the car was also hurt in the incident at about 8.30pm last night.^[45]^[46] A number of homes in the area were evacuated overnight and the A642 Wakefield to DPA^{[disambiguation needed]} road closed until afternoon due to the winds, Three fire crews at work, fallen tree branches and the wreckage.^[45]^[46] Aircraft had to be diverted from Leeds-Bradford airport where as gusts reached 100 mph. One plane from Dublin had to switch to Liverpool after making three unsuccessful attempts to land at Leeds-Bradford last night, with several other domestic flights being forced to fly on to Manchester. Both flight and ferry crossings to the Isle of Man were also cancelled.^[45]^[46] 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 29mm fell in 12 hours and both Lancashire and Yorkshire saw rainfall of 7-10mm in the same period.^[45]^[46]

The worst hit places were in Isle of Wight, Anglesey and Northern Ireland, North West England, Yorkshire and the Humber.^[45]^[46] The roads surrounding Blackpool Tower, including part of The Promenade, were closed due to damage to the tower’s structure. The Dartford-Thurrock river crossing at the QEII Bridge, was rnoon for safety reasons and a Northamptonshire a bungalow a tree fall on to it and 100 homes, mostly in Ryde, Isle of Wight.^[45]^[46] A paving slab hit a fairground ride in Bridlington, causing £30,000 worth of damage.^[47]^[48] Approximately 5,000 people were left without electricity in Northern Ireland.^[45] Light snow fall was also reported in places to.^[46]

12 November had many Belgian rivers and canals to rise above the national 'alarm level', with some of their defenses failing. As the water rose over the weaek end, 4 deaths occered as the weather hammered Flemish Brabant, Walloon Brabant, and Hainault.^[49]

This later gave way at 16.30 as it nearly all migrated in to costal Normandy, central Ireland, Northern Ireland, Northern England, Scotland and Powys, leading to some heavy outbursts in all of the effected places, exspt for Normandy in France.^[16] The locations worst hit between 16.30 and 20.00 were around western central Scotland, Perthshire, Greater Manchester, Cumbria, Derry and Sligo in Ireland.^[16] 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 3rd band of bad waelth off the southern coast of Ierland and the north coast of Cornwall after 01.00 om the 12th.^[16]

The storms continued over Cumbria, North-East England, Northern Ierland and most of Scotland beween 04.00 and 06.00 on the 12th. Tyne and Wear was the worst affected by the down pours at this time.^[16] The 3rd weather band drifed up from of the coast of Brittany, Cherbourg and hit south west Ireland, Cornwall and the Normandy's Cotinian Peninsular at 07.00 and the began to drive slowly in land by 10.00 UTC. as this happened the Scottish storms dissipated outside of the former Strathclyde region.^[16]

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 a nother 24 hours.^[45]^[46] The wreck strewn Pontefract road was opened later that day^[45]^[46]..

It had concetrated 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 ^[16] and had vertuly despersed by 23.00 outside west central Scotland, the English Channel, Normady, the Pas-de-Calais, Nord, Somme, Cherbourg^[16] and Belgium on the 12th. Heavy rain fall hit the Dutch/Belgian border, Manchester, Glasgow and Normandy at this tme.^[16] The original low that started it was blowing itself out of exsistance as a bad rain storm over Denmark, southern Sweeden 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 Gdinya and Stettin.

2 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 in. Both fatalities occurred during the night of the 13th, in the community of Solre-Saint-Gery, near the French border.^[50]^[51] By the afternoon another on r body was found in nearby Lessines, where another person was reported to the Belgian authoaties as missing.^[52]

Firelighters worked desperately to patch up defences and road travel was disrupted.^[51] 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 both 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.^[50]^[53]

By mid-day floods hit Geraardsbergen in Belgium on November 14 for the second day running. Belgium’s weather experts and state authoraties described the flooding as the worst in 50 years. The national weather service said Belgium had as much rainfall in 2 days as it normally gets in a month.^[53] 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.^[50] Rainfall has been severe across Belgium.^[54] The flood defences^[55] are failing in places.^[50]

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 near by in a separate incident that night, and a 3rd died and a 4th person was declared missing and presumed dead was later found to be safe in the nighbouring Lessines all in the southwestern Hainot/Hainaut province according to Lieutenant Fabrice Pierart of the local firebrigade. Another death occurred in the Flemish Brabant,^[56]

Local authorities called in the army, civil protection teams and firefighters to put sand bags down in the affected towns and villages.^[56]

In the town of Tubize town in the French-speaking part of Brabant, Belgian soldiers evacuate a hospital and governor Marie-Jose Laby said further rain was forecast for his town.^[56]

The River Dender 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 mayors of the affected Belgian cities are reporting this to be the worst floods in 50 years.^[49]

Floods and heavy rainfall began to occurred in the Netherlands on the 14th, leading to extra vigilance from dyke maintenance officials.^[57]

Several trees were felled as flood waters hit the Somme and Nord departments. Heavy rains flooded out the centre of the sea side town of Granville in northern France after 2 inches of rain fell on the region within 24 hours according to, Radio France Internationale.^[52] Since the 7th 1 person died and 1 was reported missing in the north and easten French Manche department, at the town of Granville.^[52]

November 15th-16th

On November the 15th a Carmen storm fan site launched, a an opening salvo in creating an Irish weather enthusiast’s blog site.^[58]

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.^[59] Army rescue teams helped with emergency evacuations, including a hospital as many of Belgian’s roads were blocked or flooded.^[59] 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.^[59]

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.^[60]

A staggering 80 litres per square metre was recorded in in a few locations, making it the worst Belgian flooding in 50 years.^[60]

Despite of 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 on the issue of flooding.^[60] Both the heavily flooded southern Nederlands and windravaged Luxembourg having no deaths at all in the same period of time.^[60]

The River Maas had its water level peak causing localised flooding in the of cellars of the town of Baarlo, Limburg and threatening the nearby town of Roermond, also in Limburg, after a several days heavy rain fall. Several roads and Limburg were flooded even in in the hilly regions of Limburg and the as fire brigade tried to pump out flooded properties and leaf clogged drains on the 15th.^[57] 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 it’s crumbling embankments.^[57] 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 near by junction and through the town on the 15.^[57] Luxembourg was under the same weather complex, but received little, if any damage compared to Belgian and the Netherlands.^[57] Similar seans also occered in the north of Par.^[57]

The Anglo-Irish weather eassed for the day on the 16th. The floods eased in Baarlo as the rain began to decrease. Major thunder storms were recorded off the coast of N.E. Scotland and the Faeroe Islands and surrounding parts of the North Sea.^[16] 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 ^[61]

November 17th

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.^[16] It also hit Devon and Cornwall at 04.00 and move further in land by 05.00.^[16] Heavy rainfall began in Oxfordshire at about 10.00 as the rain belt entered the West Midlands between 08.00 and 10.00.^[16] Thunder storms and downpours hit many parts of the UK and Ierland as the storm passed over them.^[16]

The parts of France and costal Portugal had heavy storms as the storm clouds gathered in the Atlantic between 08.00 and 14.00 on the 17th.^[2] 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.^[2]

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 ^[62] and the River Ex, River Tamar and River Ax were all riseing to their danger levels.^[63]^[64]

By mid day on the 17th, 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, Mevagissey (in which 100 properties were flooded iIn Mevagissey).^[65] Luxulyan,^[62]^[63] garage, Liskeard and Bude.^[64] Both police ^[62] and Ben Johnston, flood risk manager for the Environment Agency declared the flooding a "major incident".^[63]^[64] with hundreds of residents evacuated.^[62] The police also warned people not to dive cars or motor bikes in Cornwall for the time beaing.^[64] Schools were closed, the transport network was hugely disrupted and all train services stopped by a landslide at Lostwithiel.^[62]^[62] With both St Blazey, St Austell and Lostwithiel being the worst hit.^[63] Desperate workmen tried all day to clear a drain in closed off the village of St Blazey outside Jet garage, in Cornwall.^[65]

The Cornish rains had begun to ease by miday, but the Devonian rains had begun to strengthen. At Prime Minister's question time David Cameron said Cornwall had suffered a "very difficult night".^[65]

By mid afternoon the rain was still failing after a week in parts of the Netherlands, Belgium and Cornwall, but was segnifigent weaker than compared 24 hours ago. Police and military are working together with a helicopter from their cars or houses^[66].. The towns of St Austell and St Blazey are the worst off, with heavy flooding and loss of property. A new and rather heavy mudslide near Lostwithiel cutting the local roads and water completely surrounded the village of Mevagissey which was evacuated.^[66]

On the 17 November, the Flanders' hydrology centre classified the rivers Nete, Demer, and IJzer at denger level.^[49]

The 1st causal low finally burnt out over the Gulf of Finland between 14.00 on the 17th and 16.00 on the 18th.^[2] 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.^[67]

A huge clean-up operation began after 5 cm/2in of rain fell in a few hours across many parts the county. The Eden project was hopelessly flooded that day.^[68]

Several businesses in Lostwithiel were badly hit. Mud ruined £3,000 ball gowns in a clothes shop and Barry Green, said his bakery shop had been ‘pretty much destroyed’that morning and was still flooed. However, no deaths or serious injuries were reported in the disaster.^[68]

According to locals, it was a repeat of last year’s flood in Pentewan despite of a £1,300,000 flood relief scheme built by the Environment Agency, which was dubed by the town’s residents called it ‘money down the drain’.^[68]

More rain was expected in Cornwall overnight and some coastal showers are expected at the weekend but nothing on the devastating scale of yesterday according to Stephen Ellison at MeteoGroup UK.^[68]

By 22.12 0n the 17th the worst was declared to have passed by officials, but that future flooding was inevitable as the storms continued to pass over the UK. The UK’s Met office predicted dry weather by the Wednesday.^[69] Head of Flood Planning and Reporting at the Environment Agency, Phil Rothwell, informed the BBC that it was typical of events relating to poor drainage and the onset of climate change.^[69]

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.,^[16] but a new band of weaker storms hit Western Ireland, Northern Ireland, the Western Isles, Wales, Cornwall and Normandy at 00.00 on the 18th and gradually moved in to western England , western Scotland, Aberdeenshire, Pirthshire and eastern Ireland whilst moving out of western Ireland.^[16]

Blustery cyclone related thunder storms of the 17th and 18th that came over Warsaw, Gdansk, Gdinya and the most of the Polish costline.^[70]^[71]^[72]^[73]^[74]^[75]^[76]^[77]

November 18th-24th

Yet another heavy band of rain hit southern Belgium and the Pas-de-Calais in France between 02.00 and 04.30.^[16] 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.^[16] The rain had stopped falling in Banbury by 01.00 on the 18th.

By 07:15, 18 November 2010, Both families and businesses are facing started clearing up after Wednesday's floods left many properties under 1m/3 ft of mud, after rivers and streams like the River Fowley , which started flooding that morning.^[78] 5 flood alerts remain in place in Cornwall and light rain forecast overnight was lighter than expected.^[78]

A heavy downpour hit Hampshire, Sligo, Donegal, parts of Northern Ireland, Devon, Penbrokeshire, Powys and central Scotland and the Isel of Man between 08.00 and 10.00.^[16] The rainstorms finally broke up over Central England, Southern England, Eastern England, Wales, central Scotland, Northern Ireland, and couties Tipperary, Mayo and Donegal in Ireland between 10.00 and 14.00, with the only seriouse rain occering in parts of Wales, Central Scotland, Tipperary, Mayo, Donegal and Northern Ireland by 20.00. The only downpoor occering in central Scotland from 16.00 to 19.00 as the storms finally blew them selves out over most of Scotland, parts of Wales, Northwest England and Northern Ierland.^[16]

The bad weather had despersed outside of Northumberland and costal Scotland by 22.00 on the 18th.^[16]

According to Euronews' Meteo weather forecast, it would finally became a bad weather band in Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, Central Europe, the Balkans, Moscow and Marocco as of 03.00 to 07.00 of the 19th. The UK was clear of it exsept 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.^[2]^[16] All was calm as a heavy mist hit the English Midlands between 05.00 and 07.00UTC.

As the bad wewther eased the seasonal wet and snowy weather returned to Poland, with rain in the south and snow in Gdinya. The minor floods caused by the cyclone related thunder storms of the 17th and 18th that came over Warsaw, Gdansk, Gdinya and the most of the Polish costline began to ease on the 19th. All was back to the seasonal norm by the 20th.^[70]^[71]^[72]^[73]^[74]^[75]^[76]^[79]

The UK's Prince Charles viseted the Cornish villages of St Austel, Lostwithial and St Blazey between the 19th and the 21st. He pleged his support to the people of and visseted the ruined ball gown shop in Lostwithial and pledge 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 were he denyed that he had missled Parliament when he said flood protection money had been safeguarded in the spending review and that 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 startsed to bite. With more than 100 people evacuated from their St Blazey village homes, now berryed in 6 ft of peak flood water and 3 ft of muck by the helicopters from RNAS Culdrose and RMB Chivenor as people had to be ferried to safety at a near by sportsd hall, the locals had much to compain about.^[80]^[81]^[82]^[83]^[84]^[85]^[86]^[87]

A unrelated seasonal storms brewed up in the North Atlantic on the night of the 18th and hit the west Ireland, Dublin and Northern Ireland on the morning of the 19th.^[88]^[89].

By the morning of the 20th, the storms called Beckey and Carmen was dissipated and had died off in northwestern Russia.^[2]

Other earlier, but unrelated storms had moved on from Sweeden to dusted Northumberland and Scottish Borders Region on the 23rd and 24th before being absorbed in to the advancing Scandinavian weather system^[63].

The political consequences

The floods come at a politically delicate time as the UK's Con'-Dem' alliance 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 is to be scrapped,^[64] but the £14,250,000 Banbury flood prevention scheme will go ahead according to the November 11th edition of the Banbury Guardian newspaper.^[90] The funds have been cut from £335,000,000 a year to £261,000,000 each year for the next 4 years despite the climate change secretary, Chris Huhne saying extreme weather would become more common as the years passed.^[64] 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.^[91] The Irish Dáil had apparently not been as ruthless with its cuts and avoided such heavy flooding in Ireland.^[64] The wise and lerned Taoiseach, Brian Cowen is the current Taoiseach (prime minister) of Ireland and has saved them from the winter storms with his colegate polacies on flooding.

Despite of the 4 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.^[60] Both the heavily flooded southern Netherlands and wind ravaged Luxembourg having no deaths at all in the same period of time.^[60]

The economic consequences

Several businesses in Lostwithiel were badly hit. Mud ruined several £3,000 ball gowns in a clothes shop and Barry Green, said his bakery shop had been ‘pretty much destroyed’ that morning and was still flooed. However, no deaths or serious injuries were reported in the disaster.^[68]

The reparis and new flood defences will cost millions of £ and take about a year to complete like those after the Cumbrian flood of 2010, caused by the River Derwent bursting its banks during a heavy series of November storms and which left 1,500 homless.^[92]

The heavy damage in places like Ohio and Baarlo would cost thousands of $ and € to.

Insurance and risk assesment

European insures agreed that on October the 25th that needed to hold up to 37,000,000 euros ($51,480,000,000) 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.^[93] The windstorms were expected to increase in air pressure and strength over Europe and the Americas over the next 5–10 years.^[94]

The Eurowind probabilistic risk assessment model that quantifies the prospective risk from windstorms in Europe and is part of WORLDCATenterprise^TM, EQECAT’s catastrophe event modelling software platform and would be used to calculate future prospective windstorm and flooding losses in.^[95]^[96]

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.^[97]

AXA insurance bonds

The insurance giant AXA Global P&C sponsored a 3 year long €275,000,000/$382,800,000 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.^[98]

Axa closed it’s upsized €275,000,000 catastrophe bond on November the 2nd to cover it 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 it’s 9 Western European member countries between the 1st of January 2011 and the 1st of January 2014.^[99]

Allianz's 3rd-quarter earnings